Blackness claims Mel Gibson

After a day in Edinburgh, we headed the next day north toward Stirling and later Inverness. On the way, however, we were always game for a new castle or two. So we stopped at Blackness Castle, not far from the Edinburgh airport. Here you see the castle itself.

It was designed as a very strong, simple defensive castle -- not one of your fancy jobs that is more palace than castle. It held out pretty well against Oliver Cromwell, which is not true of many castles in England, Scotland or Ireland.


A nicer residence was added later, which you see here. The main castle has also been been used for several movies, including Mel Gibson's Hamlet.

The village of Blackness is a very cute place-- which you can see below. It not only has the castle, but a nice sailing ship harbor, a couple of pubs, a couple of bed and breakfast places, and a post office. It looked like a nice place to spend a quiet holiday, like finishing a book or something.