Saturday 13 March 2010

SUNSHINE AT SPYNIE


We have been lucky enough to enjoy some lovely sunny days, so I took the dogs and my camera and headed to Spynie to visit the old churchyard.
I love this style which leads into the church yard.
Click on pictures for more detail.
Jarvis and Bryan enjoying themselves and Spynie Palace in the background.
Look at the amount of work on this old moss covered stone.

Spynie Palace, one time fortified home of the bishops of Moray. Where these cattle roam was a 10 acre walled garden which provided fruit, vegetables and herbs
I will show you more of Spynie Palace later.
This is all that remains of the little church that once stood in Spynie church yard. The plaque below records the building of a new church a few miles away, still known as Spynie Church.



After spending time looking at the old tomb stones we set off on a lovely walk that begins outside the church yard.
The beech trees form a tunnel over the lane. It is very pretty in spring when the new leaves on on the trees and flowers decorate the banks.


Looking down the lane from the brow of the hill. Easy going down, good exercise on the way back up.

A view over the fields to the still snowclad hills.

Beech woods on the hill of Spynie

The lads posing by an ordnance survey marker., they don't think much to stopping.
Notice the bored looks

Ancient and modern. I bet the men who had to produce food from the Palace garden would have been glad of this modern tractor.

Hazel catkins show that spring is on the way.

The drive up to Spynie House with a carpet of snowdrops.




10 comments:

Betsy Banks Adams said...

Beautiful Chris... I'll bet that walk/drive up to the Spynie House is gorgeous in spring/summer--with the trees over the road... Beautiful!!!!

Looks like an interesting place. You have alot of interesting old places around you... I'd love to see all of them in person someday.

The old cemetery looks interesting. I love seeing old cemeteries. This one reminds me of the old cemetery in Williamsburg, VA...

Thanks for sharing.
Hugs,
Betsy

George said...

This looks like a marvelous place for a walk. Old sites like this are fascinating as far as I'm concerned and the history is always interesting. The fact that it is also beautiful is an added bonus.

Lindy said...

Hi Chris,

You and the dogs had a lovely day, for certain!

I like the stone style in the first shot - it's so much more interesting than the one I had in my post about Pine Hills Nature Preserve!

Can't even imagine how long it took to carve the stone that is covered in moss. Lots of beauty to be enjoyed here.

Great photo of Jarvis coming up the lane with the archway of limbs overhead. Well, ALL the photos are great! =D

What a privilege it must be to experience this place firsthand!

happyone said...

You know I would love walking around there!! :-)
I like seeing all the different kinds of stiles there are. They would make a great series of photos!
Wonderful photos. Enjoy looking at the all.

jabblog said...

It looks a splendid place for a good walk. Glad to see you're getting some sun at last.

Karen said...

Breathtaking, dear Chris. How I love your blog!

Chris said...

You are all so kind with your comments. It's a pleasure for me to share the wonderful country I live in with you all.

Neil Tasker said...

Lovely post Chris. Especially like the moss covered gravestone and the tree covered lane. Nice to see some signs of an end to this interminable winter we've had.

Linda said...

Yet another place locally that I've never visited. That tunnel of beech trees looks very enticing. I'll have to try to visit once the leave are showing.
Interesting to see that the hills are still white. We'll be heading up to Moray next week. Is it too much to hope for that the thaw will have set in?

Chris said...

Hi Linda, I think you will find signs of spring when you visit next week. Most of the snow has gone from Ben Rinnes. We have just been to Strathpeffer for a few days and it's all clear there apart from mountain tops.
Neil I agree it has been an endless winter this year, we now need some warmth.