Palace of Holyroodhouse

The Palace of Holyroodhouse (or Holyrood palace), as many of you probably already know, is the queen's official residence in Scotland. And whilst it is a 30 odd minute walk from home, up until recently we did not get around to exploring it properly ( other than walking past it every so often). My mum's visit over the summer finally gave us a reason to do so.

Holyrood Palace is a stunning piece of baroque architecture and beautifully symmetric. We started our exploration of the palace at the quadrangle with perfectly manicured lawns where we stood and observed the different levels (floors) of the palace and learned about their significance. The Royal accommodation is on the second floor as was the place where Mary Queen of Scots took residence during her eventful stay here.

Photography was not allowed inside the palace but the Queen's chambers, the royal dining room as well as the chambers occupied by Mary Queen of Scots were fascinating to see and learn about. Mary Queen of Scots lived here for about six years until the murder of David Rizzio and her forced abdication. The listening guides we borrowed were very useful in bringing to life the rich and sometimes dark history of the palace.

After our tour of the palace interiors, we were led to what is left of Holyrood Abbey. Despite the ruins, the abbey is a beautiful place and what remains of the architecture is very impressive. It was built in 1128 as per the orders of King David I of Scotland. A lot of early Scottish history is closely linked with this Abbey.

The palace is surrounded by beautiful  gardens that are also well worth exploring but as we were happening a typically Edinburgh weather day with light drizzle and cool winds, we cut short that part of the tour. We hope to be back on a drier day to walk around the gardens some more.

All in all, I think the palace is great place to explore some European and British history. As we managed to get a year along entry pass when we bought our tickets ( I'm not sure but I think its what happens with all tickets), we will be back to explore it some more.

For more of my photos from the day, check out my Instagram page. Hope you are having a lovely week! Ann x

Wearing: Petit Bateau dress, Muubaa jacket, Bloch ballerinas, Wolford tights and Longchamp bag

To get in touch and see the latest on all my adventures, follow me on Bloglovin, Twitter,Instagram or Facebook.

Exploring Scotland: Isle of Arran

Good morning folks! No, I have not given up on the blog yet! As with many of the previous hiatuses, this last one was due to yet another case of work and life not quite being balanced. However, I promised myself that I would make time to write this weekend ( and spurred on by an email asking 'where are your blog posts, Ann?!'). 

Back in July, we took off to the Isle of Arran to mark a special weekend- our wedding anniversary, our being approved to adopt (!!) and my mum's visit. Arran was close enough and warm enough enough (relatively speaking) for my mum to enjoy the trip without turning into a tropical icicle.

I did prepare her for the worst on the weather front and we pretty much got that. As we drove to Androssan, a combination of torrential rain and gale force winds threatened ferry cancellation. We were booked on the last boat to Arran but we luckily made it to our holiday cottage without too trouble.

Our long weekend commenced with a quick recce of the island. Arran is tiny and so you can drive across and around it many times in a day. It is a popular destination for cyclists who take the ferry across the Clyde on day trips to the island. Arran is often referred to as a mini Scotland -agricultural low lands in the South, beautiful beaches along the west and the east and rugged hills to the north.

We were staying on the very south of the island near Kilmory and we started our exploration driving westwards and heading north to Lochranza. We hoped to explore the standing stones at Machrie Moor but the weather wasn't suitable for making my mother walk a long way. We came back the next morning (in the rain) to check the place out. 

Lochranza is beautiful and the castle is set against the rugged mountainous backdrop. From Lochranza we drove south east wards, stopping by the golf course for a quick lunch followed by a quick stop every so often to admire the scenery.

My favourite view of all is the one of Ailsa Craig from the south of the island. Ailsa Craig has a bird sanctuary and also serves as a granite quarry. It was up for sale (by the Marquess of Ailsa) a few years ago but I'm not sure if it did sell. If there are any canny investors amongst you, do check it out!

We also visited Brodick Castle, a beautiful red sandstone building with stunning gardens. Unfortunately, given the weather, we spent more time indoors than outdoors here. The castle serves a decent lunch too.

The beaches of Arran are great for families. The areas of Brodick (more touristy) and Lamlash are popular as there are number of things to do with small kids and family groups. As for us, we chose to simply crisscross the length and breadth of the island several times over, exploring areas that looked interesting and stopping for spectacular views. 

We also visited the Arran Distillery, the Arran Cheese Company and Arran Aromatics, all of which were very interesting. Ed likes his whisky and was impressed with what we tasted at the distillery. My favourite place though was Creelers, the seafood restaurant next to Arran Aromatics which serves fantastic fresh oysters!

There is so much to do and see in Arran-I've only just skimmed the surface in this post. For more of my photos from the weekend, check out my Instagram page. 

Hope you are having a lovely Sunday! Ann x

Wearing: Chinti and Parker cashmere top, Uniqlo trousers, Marni for H&M jacket, Bloch ballet flats, Tom Ford sunglasses, ASOS raincoat and Longchamp Neo bag

To get in touch and see the latest on all my adventures, follow me on Bloglovin, Twitter,Instagram or Facebook.