Highland Cow

No big Scottish breakfast this morning as we stayed in a hotel last night and are too frugal to pay a lot of money for breakfast. Had Danishes & coffee bought at a local grocery store!

Today it was off to see more castles and abbeys. Our first stop was Arbroath Abbey along the coast of the North Sea. It was another spectacular abbey ruins where William the Lion, King of Scots (1165-1214) is buried. It was built by King William as a memorial to Thomas Becket, his childhood friend. Inside one of the buildings was this beautiful altar piece which dates back centuries (I can't remember what year exactly).

Next we decided to visit Glamis Castle, even though it was not part of our Historic Scotland Explorer Passport. (Which I highly recommend to those visiting or living in Scotland!) And, boy, are we glad we did! This place is absolutely gorgeous. As we pulled into the parking lot, I spotted these Highland cows. This was one of the few places that we actually saw them, which was a little surprising to us.

To get out of the castle viewing mode, we next visited Stanley Mills. Stanley Mills is a complex of water-powered textile mills located on the River Tay.

Next it was on to our next B&B in Carrbridge. Along the way I spotted this great castle ruins. It's so amazing what you see whilst just driving along!