Our trip today was to Loch Leven, an extremely historic castle situated on a picturesque island off the coast of Scotland. Built about 1300, this castle saw such distinguished historic personages as Robert the Bruce, William Wallace, and Mary Queen of Scots.

Personally, I was mainly intrigued by the fact that William Wallace once conquered Loch Leven; but then, I've always been militarily minded. The girls were torn between being Mary Queen of Scots languishing in captivity, and rescuing her. 

The castle is in a fairly good state of preservation; although the outer defenses are long gone, you can still walk right up into the personal apartments of Mary Queen of Scots, and look out the window from which she doubtlessly once gazed upon the relentless waves...

Having had plenty of fun climbing up and down narrow, railing-less staircases and giggling over slop troughs, the girls chose as their primary occupation: pursuing partridges. For unclear historical reasons, the island is populated with large, lovely pheasants.

Pheasants?

The only explanation I have been able to come up with was the following:

According to my sources, Mary Queen of Scots was very fond of falconry on this island, and often visited (voluntarily) before her confinement in the castle. Hawking, perhaps, for pheasants? Perhaps (one dreams) for the ancestors of these very pheasants?

All right, probably not.

Pics coming soon.

Sophia