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Published: July 13th 2012
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Dumfernline Abbey
This is an inside view of the Abbey. The church connected to this abbey is still used today and is where Robert the Bruce's body is buried. Started off with another dry (what?! can this be?) run and then headed across the Forth Bridge to The Kingdom of Fife. Another lovely day although not the sunshine we had yesterday. Oh well, no rain so we won't complain. First stop today was Dunfermline Abbey and Palace. This is actually where Robert the Bruce was buried (except for his heart which is buried at Melrose Abbey). He spent a great deal of time at this abbey and after it was largely destroyed in the war, he funded a major portion of the rebuild. His name is built right into one of the towers in carved stone. After the abbey and palace, we walked the High Street and did a little shopping.
Next stop was a little village called Aberdour. Very quaint (although Nigel had thought it was Aberlour and had developed quite a scotch thirst in anticipation). We visited the Aberdour Castle and beside it, the church. This is the oldest castle in all of Scotland dating back to the 900's. The church is even older and is still very much in use today. Sadly, we couldn't spend enough time here as we had to motor on to Anstruther
Robert the Bruce's church
Even way back when if you donated enough money, they would name the building after you. to catch a ferry.....
The coastal drive was very scenic. We arrived barely in time to catch the ferry and it waits for no one as it leaves based on the tides. The 1:45 was the only ferry for the day! Once on the boat, we could relax. The boat ride was fantastic and we could see Bass Rock from the other side this time. Once we got close to the Isle of May, we saw grey seals, and tons of birds. We disembarked on the isle and had 3 hours to roam the various trails up and down the largely uninhabited (except for wildlife and temporary researchers) island. There were a few cliffs (not roped off or anything) that I (Lori) was pretty scared of. They were over 50 metres high. Nigel was less afraid and ventured out, although he says he did slip once as it was a little muddy in spots and nearly had a heart attack.....There are 40,000 pairs of puffins on the island, tons of guillemots, shags, terns, kittiwakes, razorbills, Sesame Street's Big Bird, herring gulls and more. Nigel also says that the herring gulls were dive bombing him right up close to his
Robert the Bruce's noggin
The ministers at this church have too much free time on their hand. They made a plaster cast of King Robert the Bruce's head. head and squawking in his ear. I think they remembered him from the Hague and were hoping to rip a herring out of his mouth....
We got some real close ups of seals too. Nigel is very excited about his photos today. Actually, I would say more than half of the people on the ferry had massive cameras (professional like) and were there strictly for the photography. It was unbelievable how close we could get to these birds. Except the terns. We had strict instructions to bolt pass the tern nesting areas without stopping as they will dive bomb you, peck you, and draw blood.
The island also had a couple of lighthouses which were interesting to learn about.
The boat ride back was fun too and we got to sit n the upper deck. Back on land, we grabbed a bite to eat since it was almost 7pm and then headed back along the coastal route for home. Long day but really fun!
Scroll down for the photos (lots today) and leave us a comment about your favourite one.
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Mom Coleman
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Amazing photography !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!............you must have been perilously close to the birds to get those pictures...........sounds like a great Day!!!! love Mom