The Mammoth Cave Book is coming!

Hopefully, If you are reading this, You’ve also had time to check out the 3 part ghost story which I introduced a few blogs back. If not, I recommend it, not for editors who are faint of heart. (I’m positive there are grammar and spelling issues.) But for anyone who wants to meet the goofy team who will be touring with the Junior Rangers Investigative Club as they adventure through Mammoth Cave.

But enough about the book, for now. That’s marketing stuff, and I’m a marketing idiot. (Plus, at this point, I have very little control of the books timeline.) - I mean. I could literally release the version of the book I have right now, but why would I do that? The goal is to have the best possible version of the book on launch.

Ok now,

Really, enough about that.

I wanted to write, very briefly, about my trip to Scotland. Not about all of it. (that would take a long time. ) But about a brief hike to an old castle.

I was in Scotland for my sister’s wedding. Congratulations Randi and Norman!

I was able to spend some time with my family traveling the country. This involved seeing Loch Lomand. Hiking several hills, (running one) Traveling to Edinburgh: where I saw one castle, did the hill running, and took a ghost tour.

But then I got to travel with my parents to Stonehaven, where we got to stay in one Castle, and hike out to another, very scenic, ruined castle.

Why am I writing about this? To flex? No.

It’s because this was the type of adventure that I used to daydream about when I was much younger. Of course, I got to live in a lot of adventuresome places as I was growing up, but I think it’s only human to take your surroundings for granted. (I can’t tell you how many Keys natives (Conchs) I’ve talked to who have never made it out to the Dry Tortugas. And while there is a -valit- price consideration, it’s still suprising because of how magical the place is. But taking the parks my father lived in for granted is a story for another day.

This is about Castles, and my excitment for them. I’m not unique for saying that the medieval time: A long and diverse period of history all coagulated into a singular tapestry of jousts, knights, tournaments, banners flying, and castles, is one I find fascinating. Perhaps it’s because of the cartoons which featured the period: (nearly) every Disney movie, gargoyles, etc. Perhaps it’s because of the many renditions of King Arthur’s stories, (specifically for me Susan Cooper’s The Dark is Rising series, which also twigged me onto a more general interest in the British Isles.) Perhaps it was the Final Fantasy Game Series, (which I will definitely blog more about later.) Maybe it’s just that full plate armor and stone buildings look cool.

Whatever the case, I’d pick up a stick and swing it around pretending to be a knight. I’d imagine myself living in a castle. Id build Lego castles, and stage mock battles between the different Lego knight factions. (I don’t know what they were really called, but I was always partial to the knights with the black bird on a blue and white shield.)

All to say, that I always wanted to see real castles.

And I got my chance.

Navigating a small town in Scotland, I directed my family onto a gravel road that lead us past pastures, horses, and a forest recovering from a recent windstorm. We arrived at Thornton Castle, an actual castle. It’s been expanded much since the first tower was built in the 1300’s, and updated to modern times, and it’s also where we spend the night. It’s on Airbnb, and our host told us more about the property, and left reading material for us to peruse. The grounds were lovely, we got to walk the parapet of the L shaped castle built sometime in the 1500s (But also restored multiple times.) The central stairway was a familiar circular stone staircase, (familiar from Fort Jefferson) designed to give defenders the highground and dominant hand advantage.) And it had wi-fi. I read a lot more about it, and learned so much more about castle history while hanging out in the large billiards and recreation room on the ground floor.

Waking up the next day, we then drove to Stonehaven, where we walked to Dunnottar Castle. This is a crumbling castle overlooking the sea from a crumbling embankment. Its old, and parts are missing, but it is still an awesome site to explore. I won’t expound upon the history here. (except to note an interesting coincidental anecdote that the Lady of Dunnottar Castle— for whom a whole wing was built— apparently ran away with one of the lords of Thornton Castle where we had stayed the night before.) I will instead simply note how interesting it is to recognize a lot of the same defensive structures in thier inception, which were carried on to the much later fortifications I’m familiar with in the US.

The circular stone stairs, (as previously mentioned.) Slotted windows which make it easier for archers (and later riflemen) to shoot out of than to shoot into. Thick walls, (obviously.) Arches which helped to make the structure more sturdy, and even powder magazines which marked the beginning of a new era of conflict. In addition Dunnottar Castle also had Cistern on site to help provide the castle with fresh water.

Tower guarding the entrance to Dunnottar Castle. (the Windows let arrows and bullets out, but it’s hard to shoot in.)

I didn’t know, when I was living in Fort Jefferson, that I was living in a modern (for the 1800’s) adaptation of the defensive structures I used to pretend to live in. (I used to pretend I was in a castle when I was at Fort Jefferson too) but the comparision is apt, and obvious. And was immediately rendered obsolete for similar reasons.

For Dunnottar Castle, they had prepared it for everything, and provided good defense and defensive positioning, (basically an island of rock with one well covered entrance) Even going through measures to ensure that the castle could withstand a prolonged seige with a garden and cistern within the castle grounds. What they didn’t prepare for was the taller hill a mile away, or the invention of cannon capable of lobbing iron balls into the castle from that distance.

For the Civil war Era forts, the invention of artillery capable of piercing 8 foot thick brick walls, (riffled cannon) put an end to the era of forts.

Yes, once there are ways to break through the stone walls, castles loose their defensive value. But, like civil war forts, their construction is enduring, (as long as they aren’t bombarded) and, frankly, they look cool. If you get the chance to visit a castle, I highly recommend it. But if you live in the US, and cant easily hop out of the country, this visit was a good reminder that we have some of thier predecessors strewn around the south eastern US. A series of costal defense forts built upon their (metaphorical) foundations.

Ok, yeah, like lots of these blogs, I lost the plot. Here are some more pictures of castles.

It was a lot of fun getting the opportunity to take them!