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Pretty Dysart harbour was once filled with tall-rigged sailing ships transporting salt and coal to Holland and Scandinavia and bringing back pantiles, brandy and wood,
The ruins of James V of Scotland's castle that he built for his wife Mary of Gueldres. It sits atop a rocky crag and must have been highly impressive before Oliver Cromwell's cannons blew it apart.
The 4th and last period of building took place in the second half of the 17th century, at which time a storey was added to the 16th century house and an upper storey to the tower. This was when the crow-stepping on the gables of the main block were submerged (as the extra storey was added) and the ogee 'Dutch gables' were added.
This 17th century work was clearly a departure from the previous military style of building and a move towards a gentleman's residence. The large windows, so uncharacteristic of 'authentic' Scottish tower-houses, must have been added to the rest of the building too at this time.
The north wall of the courtyard previously referred to, with its gateway, will have been attached to the stump of wall that resembles a buttress in the centre of this drawing, so that, as one would expect, the castle's entrance door was safe inside the courtyard. This doorway is in the foot of the stair-tower, also previously referred to, added in the late 16th century to the south-west corner of the main block.
a couple more ixus shots for Jesper ;)
Last sunday I took my bike and following the suggestion of a book of the best mountain bike rides in scotland, took the "fife coastal path". It was a gorgeous day, the biking was great - for the first 50 km - then the route turned into a nightmare - deep sandy beaches, huge rocks and narrow stairs cut into the cliffs up and down... this lasted about 5 km! My batteries ran low, my patience ran very low! I was so happy when I finally made it to St Andrews - in time for a sandwich and to ride the 20 km back to the car on the road in daylight!