Bothwell Castle

Today I took my first ride on the trains here, which are wonderful and clean and much easier to use, in my opinion, than the buses (although they don't stop at as many places, so it would be difficult to use them exclusively).  There is a nice lady on the loudspeakers who tells you what train you're on, and where you're stopping next.  And in the stations there are boards outlining all the stops... very user-friendly.  It was also quite inexpensive to take the train, although I think that it might be a bit spendy for a long journey.

I picked up the train in Anniesland, about ten minutes from where I live, changed at the big Central Station in the city center, and went to Uddingston, home of Bothwell Castle.  Uddingston (a charming name) is a little town just a bit south of the city center, about a 30 minute train ride from Anniesland if you don't count the transfer.  The castle is a little over a mile's walk from the Uddingston station.

They're pretty nice about putting up signs in this country.  There are signs to the railway station, signs pointing to different major streets and attractions in the city, and signs to historical sites.  Very helpful for those of us who are directionally challenged.

A view of the castle from the outside.  This is the newer section of the castle, built in the late 1300s by "Archibald the Grim," Earl of Black Douglas.

 The castle park is a very popular place to walk dogs, and there were lots of people doing just that.

 The front of the castle.  On the right you can see the donjon, the area where the original builder, Walter of Moray, had his stronghold and living quarters.  This was constructed starting in 1242.  Originally, Moray had plans for a much larger castle, but the Wars of Independence brought construction to a halt.  The castle was captured by the English in a big siege by Edward I in 1301, and changed hands a few times before it eventually ended up with the Black Douglases at the second half of the century.  The donjon was partially destroyed in 1337, to keep the English out of it, and the castle was empty for about thirty years afterward.

 All that's left of the front towers of Bothwell.

 Looking out an arrow slit at the donjon to the newer part of the castle, built by Archibald the Grim.  What you see was the great hall on the left, and the chapel and living quarters on the right.

 A better view of the courtyard.

 The remaining tower on the original side of the castle.  As you can see, the stairs used to go quite a bit higher.  They suspect that there were guard houses on the tower roof.

 This is the steepest staircase I've ever been on.  No way they would have let you climb it in the States.  They don't seem to be as concerned about people falling to their deaths around here, which is nice, since they let you explore a bit more.

 Here I am with the chapel behind me.

 This was the great hall, about 30 or so feet off the ground.

 This was the new chapel built by Archibald the Grim.  The windows would have been close to the level of the floor.  There would have been wooden beams supporting the floor of the second story, but they've all rotted, so now the chapel is about 30 feet off the grass.

 The backside of the castle.

I stopped and walked around Uddingston after I was finished, which is just another pleasant little town.  I got some fish and chips for lunch.

 You know it's healthy when your lunch is all the same color...  These were the greasiest fish and chips I've ever had.  I literally had grease running down my wrists.  They were good, though, but I'm afraid I regretted it later.

After a trip back to Central Station and a little walk around the city center, I got back on my train to Anniesland.  One nice thing about the trains here is that, as long as you hang onto your ticket, you can leave the station at a transfer and come back again without having to buy another fair.  Kind of neat.