Archive for February, 2009

Top Golf Courses in Scotland

Tuesday, February 24th, 2009

When it comes to playing the world’s finest golf courses, if Scotland is not in your itinerary, then you really are not getting the most out of your trip. Known as the birthplace of golf, Scotland is home to some of the world’s most famous and revered courses. There are plenty that you will have a hard time playing, like the Old Course at St. Andrews, and there are some that will be more accessible to you. By playing any of the following courses while in Scotland, you will be able to experience the best that British golf has to offer.

Murcar Links Golf Club

The Murcar Links Golf Club is unique because it provides not one, but two different courses for people to try out. Located in the nice area of Aberdeen, the club is most well known for its Murcar Course, which is highly accessible and a very affordable option for people who want to experience Scottish golf in its purest form. It’s a long course by Scottish standards, but still plays to the true style of links golf. The less popular Strabathie Course provides a little bit tighter fairways and less length, and serves as a nice counterbalance for the longer Murcar Course.

Cowglen Golf Club

When most people visit Scotland, they take in the primary city of Glasgow. As one of the biggest, nicest, and most progressive cities in the world, Glasgow provides much more than golf. While there, you can play any number of excellent courses.

Cowglen Golf Club is a top notch property located just outside the city, and it has drawn great reviews from players who have had the pleasure of seeing and playing the course. The course’s distinctive design is what makes it great, to go along with its length. It is a course that is better played in the summer, so that you can enjoy the beautiful views afforded by the surrounding georgraphy.

Haggs Castle Golf Club

Haggs Castle Golf Club in Glasgow has a little bit different feel, and is better for a player who wants to enjoy the history of the area while playing a round of golf. If you are looking to play a course that might remind you of some of the Open Championship courses, then this is a really good one. Paced by great bunkers all over the place and its location close to some of the top locations in the country, Haggs Castle Golf Club is truly a gem in the country.

All in all, most of these courses will provide something of value to both the serious golfer and just the casual traveler. They vary in style and design, but provide much of the same Scottish flavor that has made the island such a popular destination over the course of time.

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Why are there so many castles in Scotland?

Tuesday, February 24th, 2009

Before Scotland was taken over by Great Britain in 1707 it was based on a patriarchal form of government where the people were split into clans based on each particular extended family, and one was the chief of the patriarchal clan. As the chieftain was the head, he was expected to have a larger type of house. Not for the sake of showing of wealth, but for the sake of being able to entertain everyone from the clan. In that way, his house, or castle did not belong to him, but to the entire clan.

Eventually the chief did own all of the land that the entire clan lived on as the Scottish Privy Council recognized a need for co-operation between clans. The Chief was also looked to as the head, and protector. All chieftains and their clans were under the high reining king of the time. However, whatever the chief decided was the final word for the clan, thus there were many ongoing disagreements between the clans and the high king.

The castles were built for protection for the clans, as there were many wars over the years. The chief was expected to protect his clan, and therefore had to build a structure that not only would house his family, and be able to hold the clan in festive events, but would also be able to protect, house, and feed them during an attack.

In 1746 the Act of Proscription was passed, which disallowed the clans’ ability to carry arms, wear traditional dress, and it even restricted music. The final straw was the Heritable Jurisdictions Act which removed the feudal authority that the chiefs had previously held. With this collapse in addition to the financial difficulties in the country at the time, the chiefs slowly had to sell of their lands to provide for the clan. Eventually it became clear that the new British landlords were not as forgiving, and loving to their tenants as the chief had been, and as a result the chiefs sold off their final lands, including the castles to try to repair the damage that had been done, and enable a mass migration to America.

The castles that are left are the standing remains of the patriarchal clans, and a reminder of a unusual, but very dear form of government. They are a reminder of the kind and loving chiefs, who were willing to do anything to protect and care for their family, no matter how lowly any of them were.

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8 Reasons to Host Your Wedding Reception in a Castle

Tuesday, February 24th, 2009

Your wedding reception is one of the events that you will remember for the rest of your life- thats why you should consider making it into as large of an event as you possibly can. Have you ever considered having your wedding reception in a castle?

Here are ten very good reasons why you should consider having your wedding reception in a castle in no particular order.

1: Something you will never forget

Many people talk about making their wedding reception memorable, but you can actually make it happen with a reception held in a castle.

2: Your friends and family will talk about your wedding reception for years, (and possibly generations to come)

Regardless of what may happen in the coming years no one that attends your wedding reception will ever forget it (and there is a lot to be said for being a hard act to follow for your family and friends!).

3: Fantastic wedding pictures

You’ll have breathtaking wedding pictures to cherish for the rest of your life. Looking back on your reception with pictures of your wedding party in a castle is something very few people will have the pleasure of doing.

4: Themes for your reception?

The possibilities are endless- if you have ever wanted to have a ‘King Arthur’ type wedding, or any other type of theme, a castle is the perfect setting.

5: Many brides dream about their wedding day their whole lives

A great number of brides wedding day dreams include a castle setting. As Prince Charming takes them away to their happily ever after, many brides spend years hoping that they can have just such a wedding when the time comes- make her wedding day everything she ever dreamed!

6: Overnight sleeping arrangements

A pleasant addition to the whole experience! Not only would the bride and groom get to have their wedding reception in a castle, but they’d would also get to spend their wedding night in a castle aswell!

7: Competitive Pricing

Compare the cost of having the wedding reception at an upmarket banquet facility versus a castle and you will be surprised at what you find. If it’s within your budget then it seems only logical to take that option for this once in a lifetime opportunity.

8: Summer Wedding?

Castles have an aura about them- this can sometimes be enhanced when the summer sun comes.

Want to arrange your castle wedding reception? Contact us today.

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Castle Weddings - The Perfect Wedding

Tuesday, February 10th, 2009

Women spend their entire lives dreaming about having the perfect wedding. They imagine it will be unique and different for anyone who is invited. They imagine it will be something out of a fairy tale or story book that will be memorable for the rest of their lives. So what happens today when everyone seems to plan and execute the same kind of wedding? How do you make yours memorable and perfect?

The answer is having a castle wedding.

castle wedding

The difference between a castle wedding and any other wedding is it is 10 times more unique than any other type of wedding. People who have planned and had castle weddings have had nothing but wonderful things to say about it, and they truly did have the best day of their lives because of it.

Everyone, from relatives to friends say that no other wedding is as magical as castle wedding. That’s why anyone looking for the perfect wedding should consider planning a castle wedding- they will remember it fondly for the rest of their lives.

Theme weddings are on the rise- women everywhere want to break from the norm. They want a wedding that will be special and memorable- a wedding that the whole family will remember for many years to come.

Perhaps you’ve had a castle wedding, or have been to a castle wedding before? Share your thoughts and memories here!

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Welcome to Birkhill Castle!

Wednesday, February 4th, 2009

Welcome to Birkhill Castle- the beautiful and historic castle in Birkhill, Fife.

The Earl and Countess of Dundee provide the castles beautiful character and facilities for castle weddings, staff corporate breaks, private party events and a variety of activities.

The castle boasts luxurious castle accommodation for up to 24 people, dining, access to the walled garden and woodland garden, as well as use of the facilities such as the tennis court, 40ft swimming pool and other castle facilities.

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