Cairns Castle

Well, the winter weather hasn't let up, that's for sure! I've had friends and colleagues get stuck on the motorway and snowed in. Fortunately we managed to avoid the absolute worst of it, although there is still far more than my fair share of snow out on the street!

We were meant to be in Aberdeen this weekend, but with amber warnings for more snow (and a snowmageddon warning from the Lothian and Borders Police asking people not to drive) we just canned it and decided safe than sorry was the best protocol. As hubby has been cheated out of a weekend home, we decided to make an effort to go and do something nice, and found this little gem!

Castle Cairns is an odd little find and was more the centre focus of a lovely walk around and about the reservoir it sits upon. With it being sat literally in a farmers front garden, we didn't investigate too closely and instead were treated to mallards and a heron flying over the water. The views were stunning, it was that kind of snowy day where the sun is out and there is no wind, so the water was like glass and a beautiful myriad of blues.

We found a woodpecker trail on one side of the reservoir and a bird watching hut on the other. Looking through the observations diary (we added the heron, several ducks, three collies, a black lab and a very old border terrier along with our mutt) we were a bit disappointed not to have spotted a clearly holidaying Loch Ness Monster, which someone else reported. 

Above, one of the aforementioned collies. Missy had fun bounding about in the snow, although, as you can see, at knee deep, it was a struggle at points for her to get around. I literally followed in the hubby's footsteps and allowed him to break through the worst of the snow, which is tiring work! All in all a lovely morning spent in the snow followed by a well deserved pot of tea!