In the Victorian age everyone went a little daft for water, it was high fashion and considered good for your health to live near, go sailing on, or just go on holiday once a year, near water. In the Glasgow area of Scotland it became a tradition that during the "Glasgow Fair" when all the big works shut down for a fortnight ( usually the last two weeks in July) families would pack up their belongings and go " doon ra waater" to Rothesay on the Isle of Bute. They would pack a wee tin trunk and camp out in Skoech woods for the duration. And why not, its cheap enough, there is very little to spend your money on in Bute. When I read this fascinating tidbit of information to my mum, she suddenly remembered they had one of those little trunks, and she had forgotten all about it until I mentioned it.

We started out early on Monday morning, we even took the bikes, which made crossing on the ferry hazardous ( well it does when you drive like me) however we arrived without incident and took them straight to our rented flat which we were not to gain access to until 2 pm but we needed to leave the bikes off.

In Rothesay town centre there are a number of shops... and that's all I can say about that **lol**

The town had it heyday in the victorian era an the frontage reflects that. All the houses are neat and trim and very victorian on the front, round the back however they are a wealth of interest, variety of architecture and add ons. I would really like to have known all about the backs of the houses, so much more to get your teeth into.

The town is dominated by Rothesay Castle, a ruin with very little in it. This castle however is famous for its early construction and the fact that it is round. Bute like many of the islands off the west coast of Scotland was one Viking domain. It was built to help the Scots take the island from the King of Norway and it features in the Norse Saga of " Haakon Haakonson". Bute its self was probably settled in the end of the 8th century CE by pagan Norse men but the Celto Norse man Sommerled successfully challenged the Norwegian authority. Then William the Lion ( King of Scots 1165 - 1214) brought it fully under Scots control.

Rothesey Castle

Naturally the Norwegians didn't like this, one little bit, in 1230 King Haakon IV sent an expedition to try to retake the island, and that was why the castle was built. However it was made of soft stone and the Vikings were able to hack through it, despite the hot oil being poured over them as they did it. Within days a Scot's fleet was sighted and the Norwegians fled to Kintyre where their leader promptly died of his wounds.

In the dungeon where they belong

one of these two is real

In 1236 Haakon decided to retake the island himself. This time the Scots surrendered without a struggle but were promptly slain out side the castle. King Alexander 111 was not on the throne of the Scots and he refused to surrender his claim to the islands. Haakon decided to flee but due to gales he was forced to land at Largs ( just across the Firth of Clyde). The Scots were waiting and the battle of Largs was fought in November 1263. The results of the battle were in conclusive, the Scots either slaughtered the norsemen or the vikings were routed. Haakon retreated to the Orkneys, where he died of his wounds.

That was it, Scotland , for a large sum bought over the control of the islands and the Norwegians had no more claim. The boards of the castle are however quick to point out that the connection did not end there. Alexander's dtr was married to the son os Haakon and their dtr was the " Maid of Norway" whose ship floundered in a storm as she came to claim the Scot's crown on the death of Alexander. The Scots asked Edward Longshanks of England to decided on a new monarch, and the rest as they say is history.

Vikingar Freya thor Odin

It rained most of the week but we did get a chance to drive around the island and go on foot to such places as St Blane's Chapel. Although a ruin for many many years, this place vibrates magic, My mother does not believe in an after life of any sort and has no time for such words as magic, but she could feel it. It was like a static charge in the air. The trees were warm to the touch and the view was spectacular.

Copy of a stone from Orkney

It was not an eventful holiday, there was very little to do but that was just fine with me, I needed the rest and we did indeed do as the guidebook suggested, we went and fed the sea gulls. On the return journey we visited Vikingar, an exhibit which tells the viking story in Scotland, naturally its in Largs Unfortunately my first spool did not turn out, many of the photographs here were taken inside Vikingar in Largs

My old guest buik

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