Autumn colour at a mysterious castle

On holiday in the Highlands with my Scottish family last weekend,  the autumn colours were stunning. The larch and the beech in particular were wonderful. Taking advantage of the November sun, my brother and I set off up a nearby glen hoping to see the beautiful formal gardens of Ardross Castle. 

On arrival we found that the gates were locked. A gardener working down the drive stopped and approached us wielding a broom. It looked as though we were going to be sent packing, but in fact he just explained that we couldn’t come in, but there was a public footpath up the glen where we might get a view. 

We found the steep path and set off. Descending through the magical trees and shrubs, my brother spotted azalea bushes lining the path with many small offshoots which seem to have layered themselves, ripe for digging up. Meanwhile I enjoyed being immersed in the woodland. Eventually we reached the River Alness, which we crossed, and came upon a clearing.

It was then that we spotted the turret of the castle high up behind the trees. It looked like a challenging, indeed a treacherous, climb to get there. Pausing to pick up a few acorns we reluctantly decided to head back to the car. 

My acorn will be planted at the back of my garden here in the village, which is very appropriate as the family who owned Ardross Castle from 1937 to 1983 were named Mardon.

It was a short visit and all we got to see of the gardens was the gardener sweeping up the fallen leaves. However, to find out who swept to victory inside Ardross Castle we only have to wait until Tomorrow evening. Would it be a Traitor or a Faithful?