Peg & Louis' Midlothian Adventure

Heading out today after early morning aerobics, Prince Louis and I decided to explore some local history. So we loaded up the Volvo and headed south to Borthwick and Dalhousie Castle, and on our way passed signs for a park I've been trying to find since I moved here... anyway, after this morning, I think I know all of Midlothian like the back of my hand, well, I suppose that's accurate because I don't really look at the back of my hands very much, but I'd think I'd know what they look like... hehe.

The pics with this paragraph are all of Borthwick Castle. Here's a bit of history:

Borthwick Castle stands as one of the most important historic buildings in Scotland, indeed in Europe. A twin towered baronial keep, built by the first Lord Borthwick in 1430, whose sepulchre can still be seen with that of his lady in the old village church. It was to this castle in 1567 that Mary Queen of Scots, surely one of the most tragic and enigmatic women of all time and her third husband, the Earl of Bothwell, fled from Edinburgh to seek sanctuary in this impregnable fortress.
It was here that she and Bothwell spent their final days of freedom before being separated for ever. She was to die upon the scaffold and he to die in a Danish prison after leaving the safety of Borthwick. Nearly a century later it was besieged by the forces of Oliver Cromwell, leader of the Roundheads in the Civil War, which led to the unique event, the dethronement, trial and beheading of a Stuart King, Charles 1. The castle walls still bear the scars caused by the bombardment of Cromwell's cannon. The early Borthwicks were warriors and this is reflected in the castle's history. On occasions they were not well disposed towards prisoners and legend has it that a popular sport at the castle was inviting them to jump the twelve foot gap between the towers with hands tied behind their backs. Those who succeeded were granted their liberty.