Glamis Castle

We've had a visitor in town this week, which always serves as a good reminder of all the great things in St Andrews, as well as providing a push to try to see some new sights. Today, Ruthie and I headed to Glamis Castle (probably best known for being the setting of Macbeth). Matt had to work at the last minute and wasn't able to join us, so the photos are all from my trusty iPhone. I hear they do carriage rides and Christmas carols in December though, so maybe we'll take a return trip later.

While the castle is relatively close to Dundee, it was a bit of a trek to get there because of spotty bus schedules. We ended up going through Forfar, a town smaller than St Andrews, which is known as the birthplace of the bridie (a Scottish take on the Cornish pasty). According to the women at the bakery, it's called a bridie because brides used to eat them before the wedding (the shape of a horseshoe was supposed to provide luck). I love the idea of a bride eating this giant pastry stuffed with meat before walking down the aisle! Ruthie and I split a "small" one and it was a perfect afternoon snack after exploring Glamis all afternoon.


Back to the castle - I think my favorite part was the grounds. There were several different "nature" areas, including an impressive Italian Garden full of trimmed trees and hedges. And the animals! I stalked some Highland cattle...


...and some sheep!


Even though we were assured that there were no witches or murders in the castle, it did have a few ghost stories and "Duncan's Hall" was foreboding enough that I could see why Shakespeare might want to set Macbeth there. Plus, as our tour guide told us, "it's great free publicity."