Hurdygurdy men

I was fortunate to be able to attend a short concert of Medieval Music in Skipton Castle. The musicians, Marco Cannavo on the right and Steve Tyler on the left, were proficient in a wide range of rather complicated-looking instruments. The tunes were rhythmic and mostly quite stately - suitable, I suppose, for dancing. We just lacked a banquet and (me) appropriate clothes! 

In the photo above, Steve is playing a hurdygurdy, which (Google says) is a stringed instrument that produces sound by means of a hand-cranked rosined wheel that rubs against the strings. The wheel functions much like a violin bow, and single notes played on the instrument sound similar to those of a violin. Melodies are played on a keyboard that presses tangents—small wedges, typically made of wood or metal—against one or more of the strings to change their pitch. Like most other acoustic stringed instruments, it has a sound board and hollow cavity to make the vibration of the strings audible.

In the photo below, Marco has a portative organ, a popular instrument from the 12th to the 16th century, that uses sheepskin and wood bellows, a keyboard and pipes to produce a flute-like sound. 

Here Marco is playing a bladder pipe, an early simplified form of bagpipe. 

I'm not 100% sure of the name of these small guitar-like instruments but they are possibly called citoles. 

Here Steve is playing a small Gothic harp. 

And the hurdygurdys again:

Skipton Castle

Skipton Castle... I've been so many times before and shown photos on my blog, so I thought I'd try something slightly different this time. Mono conversions and a bit of faffing! 

It's over 900 years old. Built by a Norman baron, Robert de Romille, it started as a wooden motte and bailey castle on an earthen foundation. It was rebuilt in stone, the better to withstand attacks from the Scots to the North and, standing as it does on a steep cliff that drops down behind it to Ellar Beck, it is in a good defensive position. Its thick-walled round towers are designed to fend off cannon fire. 

During the English Civil War it was the only Royalist stronghold in the North of England and withstood a three year siege by Cromwell's troops, after which in 1645 a surrender was negotiated. For over 300 years from 1310 it was the property of the Clifford family. After the Civil War, it was repaired and cared for by Lady Anne Clifford and thanks to her efforts we still have it - roofed and remarkably intact - to enjoy today. The entrance door known as Lady Anne's steps was built in her time to replace the original drawbridge. 

In the inner court, a yew tree planted by Lady Anne in the 1600s still stands today. 

St Andrews - Historical sites

Fife holiday 2026 #11

The plan for the final day of our holiday was to walk from St Andrews to Kingsbarns, a distance of some 7 miles across quite remote country (lots of golf courses again!). I and a couple of friends decided we'd rather spend the day in St Andrews, a university town with a wealth of interesting sights. So we hopped on the bus. I still walked more than 5 miles around the town, so I did get a good workout albeit at a slower pace, with more coffee! 

The bus station was near to the West Port, a gate into the town built in 1589, designed to impress visitors, which it still does I guess. 

My first port of call was the ancient cathedral, now a ruin. I was rather disappointed in it, to be honest, mainly because the grounds were covered in temporary and unsightly metal fences. These have been erected around gravestones and monuments that are judged to be unstable (most of them, in fact!). It seems they are waiting for the relevant families to pay for repairs... but I guess in many cases there is no family left. The dominant structure is St Rule's Tower, part of the original St Rule's Church that preceded the cathedral. Built in the 1100s, it drew pilgrims to the shrine of St Andrew. The Cathedral, consecrated in 1318, was the most important church in medieval Scotland. Part of the grand west entrance still survives. 

There's the foundations of a Cloister and a Chapter House, where the canons would meet to do church business. Several of the priors were buried under its floor and today you can see some of the medieval, stone coffins.

Next stop for me was the harbour, not large by the standards of some we'd already visited but an important presence to the south west of the town. 

Then I meandered along the seafront, passing St Andrews Castle. Destroyed and rebuilt several times during wars between the Scots and the English, it was rebuilt by Bishop Walter Trail in 1400 and became the main residence of the bishops and archbishops of St Andrews and the administrative centre of the Church of Scotland. It was also a notorious prison. It went through many turbulent times, including a siege in the mid 1500s, as a result of the entwining of church and national politics. It was abandoned and finally fell into ruin in the late 1600s. 

Beyond the castle, the seafront road (The Scores) is where many of the university buildings are situated so I wandered along enjoying the grand old buildings and the more modern structures that have been shoehorned in among them. 

 

Sunny Skipton

The end of April/beginning of May here was warm and sunny, as hot as I can bear it these days. I had to drive over to Skipton one day to collect my new glasses, which are quite a departure from my old ones, the frames being much lighter in colour. You know how it is... When you order them you feel quite excited and then when they arrive you wonder if you've made the right choice... I shall need confirmation from my daughter as to whether or not I have! 

Anyway, it being such a glorious day, I had a wander round town and a walk in the woods. Skipton's high street is long and wide, with the castle and church at the top end. I love the view of the surrounding hills that you get in the distance. I didn't go in the castle this time, but the gatehouse is always worth a photo. 

The roundabout at the top of the high street holds the town's war memorial. 

The town has a market on several days in the week. I've learned to avoid those days when I go to the optician's, as it is much harder to find a parking spot. On non-market days many people like to park on the high street so there's usually more free space in the actual car parks. 

Holy Trinity church is right in front of the castle walls, in prime spot at the top of town. I think its setting is quite attractive. 

My last photo is looking up towards the church from the high street. It's a busy junction so I was lucky to avoid having vehicles in the shot. 

PS: Since writing this post, I've seen my daughter and she approves of my new glasses. She did, however, notice that what I thought was an etched pattern on the side arms is in fact the brand logo and says 'Range Rover'. 😆 We decided I should have gone for the upgraded version with windscreen wipers and indicators! 😂 😂

Princes Street and the National Galleries

Edinburgh #8

Princes Street and its Gardens slice through the centre of Edinburgh, dividing the city into its Old and New Towns. The valley is at the heart of the city, more or less concealing the railway and Waverley Station, which is tucked into the valley bottom. Across the Gardens, the stronghold of Edinburgh Castle dominates the scene, standing on Castle Rock, the plug of an extinct volcano, which has been occupied by humans since at least the Iron Age. The castle was a royal residence until 1633, and then a military garrison, prison and historic archive, home to the Scottish Crown Jewels.

The National Galleries of Scotland occupy a prominent position and it was here that I spent a whole afternoon, enjoying their exhibitions (and tea, of course, in the gallery restaurant). 

Sadly it was too chilly and drizzly to sit outside, but I could still enjoy the view of the Victorian Gothic Scott Monument, that huge memorial to the Scottish novelist Sir Walter Scott, said to be the second largest monument to a writer anywhere in the world. Beyond it is the Balmoral Hotel, originally a Victorian railway hotel in Scottish Baronial style. The hotel's clock on the tower is said to be set three minutes fast, to assist travellers in catching their train! The Balmoral is now a five star hotel and it was here that JK Rowling finished her last Harry Potter book. She apparently left a signed statement written on a marble bust of Hermes in her room: 'JK Rowling finished writing Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows in this room (552) on 11th Jan 2007.' The room has since been renamed the 'JK Rowling Suite', and the bust has been placed in a glass display case to protect it. (She'll be wanting a monument next!) 

The National Galleries contain works by Scottish artists but also many famous paintings and sculptures by other renowned artists. 'The Three Graces' by Antonio Canova is jointly owned by the V&A and the Scottish National Gallery and they take turns to exhibit it. It's obviously Scotland's turn currently.  

 

Edinburgh

Edinburgh #1

I'm afraid I'm now going to unload all my holiday spam... I spent a few days in Edinburgh last week. I used to work there a lot at one time (a good thirty years ago!) so I have many memories from there but we never used to get time to explore the city. I did once go to the Edinburgh Festival, which was amazing. It seems a lot busier these days, with lots of American, French and German tourists, and huge numbers of young Chinese - students?, influencers? 

The train journey seemed long but travelling through York, Durham and along the Northumberland coast means it is one of the more beautiful train lines in the country. I arrived in the early afternoon and concentrated initially on exploring the Old Town, where the Royal Mile runs down from Edinburgh Castle to Holyroodhouse. I didn't have long enough to walk its full length, so I went uphill, past St Giles Cathedral. The High Street is wide and cobbled, flanked by historic buildings and thronged with tourists and Scottish 'tourist tat' - more tartan scarves, highland cow stuffies, kilts and whisky than you ever want to see! It has wonderful views over to the coast, the Firth of Forth.  

The whole of Edinburgh is very hilly, and there are narrow alleyways (closes) and steps branching off the main artery. The street plan is labyrinthine, much of it conforming to the medieval plan but then extended from the late 18th century. 

There are some imposing statues, like this one of Walter Montagu Douglas Scott, 5th Duke of Buccleuch in Parliament Square. There's also one of Adam Smith, economist, philosopher and author of 'The Wealth of Nations' (see my second photo above).  

I wandered down Victoria Street, instagram famous for its brightly coloured shops. It's said to be the inspiration for Diagon Alley in J K Rowling's Harry Potter books - and there was a long queue outside the Harry Potter merchandise store. 

Nearby on George IV Bridge you can see what was the Elephant House Café, where Rowling wrote some of her books. It was damaged in a fire in 2021 and has yet to reopen. 

At the bottom of Victoria Street/West Bow, Bow Well dates back to 1674, built to supply drinking water for the Grassmarket, one of Edinburgh's main market places since 1477. As a gathering point for market traders and cattle drovers, the Grassmarket was traditionally a place of taverns, hostelries and temporary lodgings, rough and poor. It's only relatively recently that it has been 'gentrified'.

At the bottom end, there's a fine view of the back of Edinburgh Castle, which towers over the city, perched on a plug of volcanic rock. (My first photo is taken from a famous viewpoint known as the Vennell Steps.) 

Helmsley

Helmsley is a small market town located at the mouth of Ryedale on the edge of the North York Moors National Park. It has ancient origins and gained its Borough Charter in 1191. The centre of the town has buildings arranged around the market square with evidence of burgage plots - long, narrow plots of land with a house, that were rented from the king or local lord. The town built its prosperity on wool production and weaving, and later on flax.  

It's an attractive place, a popular destination for tourists and motorcyclists (who ride the B1257 road from Stokesley, a popular biker route). More often than not the centre is packed with motorbikes and cars, with visitors enjoying the range of independent shops, galleries, pubs and cafés. Many of the buildings you see today date from the 17th century. 

Helmsley's Norman castle, now ruined, is the most significant of the medieval buildings that survive.

I just had a short walk around the town and looked in a few galleries. I rather liked the pink car I spotted, especially paired with the pink petunias in the flowertub. 

Snape

The village of Snape, near Bedale in North Yorkshire, has a secret hidden in plain sight. On the edge of the village lies Snape Castle, a semi-fortified manor house dating back to the early 15th century. It belonged to the Neville family and before she became Henry VIII's sixth wife in 1543, Katherine Parr lived here. (She was married to John Neville, who died early in 1543). 

Later in its history, the castle was neglected and left in the care of an agent. Parts of it are now ruined - rather a Romantic ruin, one feels -  though the main body of the castle is still a private residence and it cannot currently be visited.

Its hidden secret is its chapel, originally a private chapel for the castle, where Katherine Parr would almost certainly have worshipped (and may well have married John Neville). On an upper floor, and usually open to the public, it dates back to the 15th century though it was renovated around 1720. 

In the early 1700s the original ceiling of the chapel was removed and a plaster ceiling installed, painted by the Italian artist Antonio Verrio and depicting scenes from Revelation 12:7 - 'War and Wonder in Heaven'. By the late 18th century the chapel was used as a store for grain and rapeseed! Sadly, the ceiling has been ruined by damp and the frescos are now impossible to discern. 

The finely carved reredos behind the altar, dated 1725, had better luck, and there are some good stained glass windows too. 

The chapel is still used for worship and, though now lit by electricity, it retains its old gas lamps. 

From the road through Snape village, the castle is largely hidden by high walls but from the back looking across fields it is plainer to see. It's a fascinating piece of history.