Dumbarton Rock

Once again, I've got a lot of catching-up to do, so I'll try to be brief.  Dumbarton Rock is what's left of an extinct volcano in the town of Dumbarton (no-brainer there), which lies a bit southeast of Glasgow.  It's just a short train ride to get there, and then about a mile's walk to the rock itself.  Some of the signs refer to Dumbarton Rock as Dumbarton Castle, because there have been a number of fortifications built there over the years.  However, I'll call it Dumbarton Rock, since there isn't one definitive castle there at the present.

So.  Why should you care about Dumbarton Rock?  It's cool for a number of reasons.  First of all, it's really, really old.  There have been people there for thousands of years, although the first recorded history dates from about 1,500 years ago .  The rock was the center and main fortress of the ancient kingdom of Strathclyde from the 5th to the 11th centuries.  In fact, some legends have Merlin staying at Dumbarton rock.  The Rock was attacked by Vikings in the 11th and 12th centuries, and the first royal castle was built there around 1220.  William Wallace (one of the main defenders of Scotland during the Wars of Independence) was probably imprisoned at the Rock, and Mary, Queen of Scots definitely spent some time hiding there before fleeing to France for several years.  Then, like so many of Scotland's castles and fortresses, the Rock fell into military hands until being turned over to the preservation people.

 The fortifications that you see from the ground.  I'm not sure what dates from when, although the building with all the scaffolding is the governor's house, built in the 17th century.  I'd guess that all of the walls are from a similar time period.  The oldest thing standing today is a portcullis arch, which is from the 14th century.

 There's a wonderful long walk on the walls around the Rock.

 A view of the Clyde from the walls.  Glasgow would be just to the right, out of the frame of the picture.

 Just to prove I was here, and didn't take the photos off Wikipedia...  It was super windy that day.  I actually felt like I was going to get blown over when I was high up.

 There's a very small, polite note as you enter, suggesting that Dumbarton Rock may not be suitable for disabled badge holders.  These steps were steep.

 Dumbarton Rock from the top of Dumbarton Rock.  Very picturesque.

Just to show how hard the wind was blowing, I took a short video of the flag on the top of the hill.  They actually have to have support cables on all four sides of the pole, so that it doesn't get blown down.