Spot The Odd One Out

It's in extra 1.

Mr Flum's appointment this morning was cancelled so we took advantage of the nice weather for a trip to Clackmannanshire, to Gartmorn Dam Country Park and Nature Reserve. The dam was built as a water supply for hydraulic machines for Alloa's mining industry. There is a resident flock of waterfowl including swans, ducks and geese. These Mute Swans responded to my offer of food (specific to them) and congregated close by, grunting to each other. But one did not grunt, its call was more like a hoot - this was a Whooper Swan, its yellow beak all alone among the orange.

Anyway we wandered along the dam, though did not complete a circuit of the reservoir as we had a further destination, this may come another time. We duly arrived at the door of Alloa Tower, an early C14  residence for the Erskine family, the Earls of Mar. (The 6th Earl, besides extending the tower by adding a mansion, commissioned the construction of Garmorn Dam). The Erskine family were supporters of the Stuart monarchs and Mary, Queen of Scots and her son James spent part of their childhoods at Alloa under their guardianship.
 We hadn't realised that the last entry is one hour before closing time - but, being National trust members, were kindly admitted on condition that we began our visit on the topmost level - the roof (where the guides begin their closing-time checks) - so raced up the many many many steps to admire the view over the Forth and the Ochil Hills. Descending  at a more leisurely pace we could admire the roomy and elegant accommodation, no longer typical of a tower house but altered in the 1550's, adding extra floors and wide staircase to allow more comfortable living. Extra 2 is the tower as seen and features I found interesting - a well incorporated within the building (very unusual) and the lock on the main door.

Most interesting was the absence of any evidence of gardrobes (toilets) which one would have expected to be included in the modernisation - maybe we missed them in our haste to leave on time. 

Well worth the visit but a further visit would allow the history to be understood more clearly.