Bothwell Castle

Our washing machine decided to break down a couple of days ago - it made the most "interesting" noises - and today we visited Marie's parents. Because they have a washing machine. That works.

Dropping our washing in with them was't the only reason we went, of course. Jenni was needing ice skates, as she has reached a stage in the hobby where the rental ones from the ice rink apparently don't quite cut it any more. So we went to Kaos Skates (www.kaossk8.com) in Blantyre to get her a set of skates. It was actually rather nice to see an independent, specialist shop surviving on the high street.

After that, we went to the nearby Bothwell Castle. This castle played a significant role in the Wars of Independence of the 14th century, but over the years has been significantly rebuilt. We do tend to enjoy clambering around old castles, and this was one we hadn't been to before.

Here you can see the round tower of the castle, with the sunshine picking out the lovely hues of the local red sandstone. The weather was an amazing contrast from a week ago; while it wasn't exactly warm, it was distinctly more attractive-looking than it has been!