Culzean Castle

Culzean Castle (pronounced cull-ANE) sits atop a cliff on the west coast of Scotland and was built in stages between 1777 and 1792, mostly by the architect Robert Adams. In 1945, the castle's owners gave the castle and its grounds to the National Trust for Scotland (thus avoiding inheritance tax), but in doing so, stipulated that the apartment at the top of the castle be given to General Dwight Eisenhower in recognition of his role as Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces in Europe during the Second World War.

He stayed there several times and I could see why. Not only is it down the road from a number of the world's most famous golf courses, it's also an impressive structure with breathtaking views up and down the coast. I'm no golfer of course, but I do like a good view and could happily have stared out of any of the windows for several hours.



However, impressive though the house was, it was the grounds that had me captivated. In times gone by, country people believed that woods contained spirits, and magical forests have been a staple of folk tales since time began. Walking through the woods surrounding Culzean Castle, it was easy to see why.

Not that it was claustrophobic, or threatening in any way; despite being lush and overgrown, the trees had a soft, friendly quality to them. For me, it was just the amount of character the trees had. Each seemed to have their own personality, and features completely different from all the rest. I love pine trees but after a while, one does start to look a bit like another. Here on the other hand, was a veritable smorgasbord of variety, with shades of green too numerous to count. Bluebells were everywhere and the aroma of wild garlic hung in the air.



My sister, the bossy one, is the leader of a Guide (Girl Scout) troop and my 12-year old niece Jenny is one of her pack members. They'd only just got back from a weekend's camp here, and have been here many times before that, but love the place so much they were happy to show us round. Jenny knows the castle better than some of the docents and even has an "in" with the resident ghost; a young boy who occasionally visits his old bedroom. She can't see him, but says she can tell when he's there. Each of the rooms is carefully climate controlled to protect the antiques and apparently his room is always 1 degree cooler than the rest of the house. Apparently he was there when we visited so we each gave him a polite "hello" and continued on our way.

One of the docents actually suggested Jenny get a job at the castle. Not as a guide, although she'd be good at it, but as a serving maid. She explained how this was a comparatively cushy number in that she would have a bed to herself and lots of good food. That all sounded appealing enough but once she learned she would need to get up early each morning, Jenny decided to pursue other opportunities. Smart choice; go with your strengths, that's what I say.



We tried to get my nephew Christopher hired on as a trainee-footman. At eleven, he's the right age. Unfortunately, we couldn't get him to make a decision as to whether or not he was going to grow tall - apparently tall is good when it comes to footmen and if you happen to have an identical twin, you can rake in the big bucks. (Butlers like symmetry.) But, Chris didn't grow by any visible amount while we were there so it looks like he'll have to stay in school for the time being too.

Tour finished, we headed back out into the sunshine and another stroll through those fascinating woods. Jenny plans to get married here one day (she has a shortlist of locations, but no potential husbands as yet) and I can't say I blame her. The place has a magical quality to which the photos don't do justice. What a fabulous place.



I came home from Britain with a £5 note in my wallet, issued by the Royal Bank of Scotland. It wasn't until I'd been back from my vacation for a week or two, that I pulled it out to show someone. And there on the back, to my surprise, was an engraved picture of Culzean Castle. I guess somebody else must like the place too.




If you're interested, more photos can be found by clicking
here: