#308: Lochranza Castle

Join me on a virtual trip to Scotland

In this pandemic where we are all trying to follow social distance measures and relying more and more on the virtual world, let me take you with me to the Isle of Arran, just off the West coast of Scotland.

We have to get on a ferry first, though, so I hope you don’t get seasick. But really, the trip is worth the views. As we start the crossing, we wave goodbye to the small town of Ardrossan, and then walk to the front of the boat where, gradually, an island appears out of the mist. As we get closer, look directly in front of you and you will see a shape spreading out in both directions; to the right is the towering mountain of Goatfell, often shrouded in cloud and rain, while on the left the hills are lower, and field patterns stand out on the island as we get closer. Soon directly in front of us the town of Brodick will appear, which includes a seafront of little houses and shops along a straight road which parallels the sea which we are sailing on.

Once we’ve arrived, we drive our car off the ferry and start traversing the roads of Arran. We’ll drive over what is known as the string road, rising into the hills before going steeply back down again, perhaps stopping once or twice to take in the view. Did I mention it’s autumn right now, by the way? So imagine reds and oranges as the trees in this nature-filled island start to turn. The colours are stunning.

Once we’ve reached the other side of the island, we turn north. It’s time to drive along the coast, looking out for seals balancing on rocks or seabirds enjoying the lack of humans. Again, there are more views than you can take in at once, and you’ll spot the locals from the visitors by how fast they drive along these picturesque roads. Then, as you’re driving along this stunning coast, you will start to turn a corner and there before you will be Lochranza Castle.

It’s time to pull up the car, get out, and explore. Don’t forget some extra layers as the sun may be shining on this autumnal day, but the breeze is strong and biting! We’ll walk a bit closer now to this stunning ruin.

Isn’t it wonderful? It’s probably helped by the stunning backdrop that it’s in, but we’ve written before on this blog about how context impacts our perception of an object. As we stand before Lochranza Castle, we can marvel at its simple and solid presence, having stood for many years bearing the brunt of harsh Scottish winters after it was built way back in the late 1200s.

We can walk up to these ancient stone walls now, and try to peak in through the grated windows. There is no way to get inside, and one entire wall is unreachable due to a drop down onto the beach, but we can look through the windows, and shine lights into the space. It has multiple levels, and in fact the front door is high up on one side, at one time likely accessed by wooden stairs on the outside of the building.

We can learn this fact, and more, from the information board that stands by the road up to the castle. We go to the board looking for information, but walk away with more questions than answers. The board tells us about building practicalities and ownership, but what about the people who lived here? What did they do? Who were they? What was it like to live in such a place? All we have are names to associate with this castle: Robert the Bruce landed here on his return from Ireland; the famous Hamilton family owned it for some time; and a drawing of this very castle can be found in a Tintin comic.

But any more than this limited information is not available, so we must turn back to the castle and to our own private thoughts. Standing there before this large and imposing object, which sits in the protection of the bay and stands out in the sun, we can look at it and imagine. Imagine what it must have been like to live in that castle on a cold and wintry day, or on a day when visitors arrived from the sea, spotted in the distance from one of the high-up windows. Imagine a warmer day than today, perhaps in the summer, when the water around us held boats which we could go exploring in, seeing more of this beautiful island.

But now that we’ve had our share of exploring, it’s time to head back to the car. The wind has gotten a bit too cold now, and the sun is behind a cloud, so let’s warm up in the car as we head off further north, around the top of the island, on our way to our lodging for the night. And as we go, let’s ponder the views out to sea, the ancient objects of a Western Scottish island, and the power of our own minds to imagine past experiences and take us places we may never visit in body. The mind, and its travels, is a wonderful thing — and so are the objects which catch our attention.

Katie writes regularly about random objects that she finds in her everyday life. If you’re interested in reading more, check out her blog Object, a collaboration with fellow Medium blogger Eleanor. You can also follow us on Twitter @ ObjectBlog.