September 20, DTR, II
We left the village of Dunure and drove off in wind and rain to Culzean Castle, pausing at the Electric Brae to experience the sensation of coasting backwards and uphill in the car. The optical illusion of the western Scottish coast.
Culzean Castle is the one you want to visit if castles strike your fancy. Built as a residence for a bachelor a long time ago, and not as a fortified defense outpost, it’s all rooms full of paintings, odd sculpture, and an entrance hall with more than 700 flintlock pistols arranged up and down the walls on all sides. Before heading into the castle we had wonderful light lunch at the Farm and Country Life Museum on the grounds, and I dug into my first (but certainly not the last) plateful of haggis and tatties (passed on the neeps and took beans instead). Then we had an illuminating conversation with the director of the entire complex, Mike Shaffer, about the challenges and opportunities of managing a property that seemed to combine Reynolda House, the Nature Science Center, Tanglewood (without the golf course) and 5 miles of rugged sea coast. 150 employees, funding from the National Trust, but open entry for most people walking through the grounds, enjoying the day but not putting anything into the revenue box.
For those of you who have been to Scotland, played golf at Troon, and took some time for a castle tour, this is probably where you went. To refresh your memory, this is the castle which provided Gen. Eisenhower with an apartment of life after WWII. Top floor is swell hotel, with 6-8 rooms, and you can probably find out how to book a week there on the internet. I’ll try to plug in a link later.
Returning to Prestwick late in the afternoon, see DTR III for final report on September 20.
Thorns