Exploring Loch Leven Castle and its surroundings!
Morning Steemians!
Loch Leven is near Perth in Scotland and is situated near Loch Leven, hence its name!! Its so pretty around there!It was built around 1300 and people believe that it possibly saw some action in war. Before we got to the castle we were admiring these beautiful swans on the calm water. The reflections were just so beautiful and tranquil, definitely a good start to the trip!
This swan had some young babies with it that were following her around the loch! Its always great to see these beautiful birds and I am so glad that they are a protected species here in the UK.
There were more than just Swan's on the loch too, we spotted a heron and a moorhen on the water, just going about their day! It was quite cold in the air so I think these birds were looking for some food to warm them up!
I love these next 2 shots of the swans! Its amazing when you get water that looks like glass! The swans nearly blended into the loch and created this really relaxing calm photograph! I loved them!
I also love little feathers and photographing them, this one has positioned itself in some beautiful light which I was quite thankful for!
SO onto the castle!! It appears behind this amazing tree in all its glory. It really looked quite impressive and I was keen to get lots of different angles from down below before we headed inside!
Walking around the trees to get these shots I noticed these amazing little fungi that were growing in and around the trunks. Very delicate and beautiful, there wasn't much light to photograph them in but I think that gave them more atmosphere!
While we were walking around to get lots of different shots of the castle it took us back to the shore of the loch and what we thought originally were just rocks on the beach were in fact hundreds of thousands of little shells!! How amazing! I have never seen a beach that has been made up of so many shells before, it was so cool!
This castle is definitely set in some of the most beautiful grounds we have seen. So close to the loch and to be honest we were enjoying the views from the other side of the loch back yo to the castle so much already!
The views across the loch were only getting better and better, this low mist had rolled in and the reflections from the clouds as the birds swan across the water were just amazing! There was so much to look at and photograph, and we hadn't even gone inside the castle yet!
So as we dragged ourselves away from taking so many shots of the surroundings we came to the castle entrance. A gate led us inside and the light that was casting amazing shadows on the walls was so beautiful.
There were lots of amazing windows on the castle and as we stood photographing this one we noticed a small Robin perched on the ledge!! Very cute, I have always loved Robin's they seem to like following you around and looking at what you are doing!
Loch Leven castle might be mainly famous for being the place were Mary Queen of Scots was imprisoned. She was kept here from 1567-1568 and forced to abdicate her throne. So as much as this castle was really beautiful it also has some very sad tales to tell, and walking around this place we were very aware of what sad stories went on here.
Although the surroundings of the castle are so tranquil and peaceful the inside of the castle left you feeling a little uncomfortable, it must have been because we knew that Mary Queen of Scots was imprisoned here for so long. However she did escape with the help of her family so I guess there was a slightly happy ending to this tale!
The castle was later bought by Sir William Bruce who used it a nice focal point to his garden!! Imagine just buying a castle as it made a nice little feature in your garden!! I'm sure if they had kids at that time it would have made a great little den for them all! It was never used as a residence after that date.
It seems fitting that this castle is only accessible by ferry in the summer. It is kept and looked after by Historic Scotland and really is a great place to go and explore. All these little gems are hidden away in the Scottish landscape just waiting for your to explore them!
I hope you all enjoyed this little trip with me and I look forward to sharing my next adventure soon!
Hi @vtravels! This castle trip was so awesome and impressive that I'm still in awe while writing this comment. Your photographic skills are really something else, the castle was beautiful, but I really loved the most the surrounding nature photos, the swans, fungi and the shells!!! OMG I had never seen something like that before, so many shells, nature really is amazing!
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Thank you that's awesome!
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fantastic!
I liked the first photo very much!
Thank you so much!
Great post, loved all the details! Especially all the little shells :)
Thank you! yes those shells were amazing!!
I know the place very well! :) Very good post, great shots, It is always great to explore the whole area not only the main object. You have a soul of explorer! Well done, take care!
Awww amazing! Thanks! I always love to explore the surroundings, it gives you such a better idea of the place! :D
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Thank you very much!
Beautiful Post and nice photos. would love to explore that area.
Thank you so much, you would love it!
The swan flying out of the water - what an amazing shot!
Thank you, got lucky with that one!
So beautiful pictures 😍 Sounds like a very nice excursion!
Thank you, it definitely was :D
I've never seen shots of the castle before, normally everyone just takes shots of the lake. Also watch out of the geese, those dudes are cray cray.
They are swans ! All very peaceful, animals will only attack if they are provoked
Swans are OK. Geese though, you don't even have to provoke them just toss some nuts and stuff to some ducks and the geese are like "HONK HONK that was for me HONK!" and then they try to bring about the end of the world because geese.