Dam_01
Well-known member
Been really quiet this last while with a change in job, house etc so not really much time to get out and explore the surrounding area that much although I'd driven past here a few times and just seen the top poking out of the trees.
Since it's basically in the back garden of a B&B and working farm, I'd been hesitant to just wander up but I had a spare hour and nothing ventured, knocked at the B&B to ask if it would be alright to go and have a poke about.
The woman that answered was quite happy to let me go up but warned against actually going inside as the tops of the walls are REALLY unstable (read: big stones basically balanced on top of each other.
Wiki tells me that its a Cat A listed monument and a scheduled ancient monument.
Started in 1578 as a retirement 'palace' for James Douglas it was never completed owing to his execution by James VI.
Of note is it's unique "Double Tenement" design where a central corridor runs the entire length of each floor with rooms off each side.
Perhaps not exactly a usual type of place to report on, it is a bit off the beaten track and it doesn't look as though it gets many visitors at all.
Excuse my pictures too. It was a first outing with a new camera (to me) and very much on the start of the learning curve...
You can kind of see just how precarious some of the top of the walls are. Good thing I hadn't seen that first but I was still very jumpy inside, especially the racket the the birds made having been disturbed.
Since it's basically in the back garden of a B&B and working farm, I'd been hesitant to just wander up but I had a spare hour and nothing ventured, knocked at the B&B to ask if it would be alright to go and have a poke about.
The woman that answered was quite happy to let me go up but warned against actually going inside as the tops of the walls are REALLY unstable (read: big stones basically balanced on top of each other.
Wiki tells me that its a Cat A listed monument and a scheduled ancient monument.
Started in 1578 as a retirement 'palace' for James Douglas it was never completed owing to his execution by James VI.
Of note is it's unique "Double Tenement" design where a central corridor runs the entire length of each floor with rooms off each side.
Perhaps not exactly a usual type of place to report on, it is a bit off the beaten track and it doesn't look as though it gets many visitors at all.
Excuse my pictures too. It was a first outing with a new camera (to me) and very much on the start of the learning curve...
You can kind of see just how precarious some of the top of the walls are. Good thing I hadn't seen that first but I was still very jumpy inside, especially the racket the the birds made having been disturbed.