In that same letter to the newspaper, published on June 25, 1901, about Arbroath, Karl concludes by writing: “The next town of importance reached was Stonehaven, about which I will tell you in my next letter”.
I couldn’t find a record of a supplementary letter in the newspaper about Stonehaven. The letter may not have been received or not received in time to be published. But I did stop in Stonehaven, and knowing Karl’s interests when he arrives in a historic town, I suspect his letter would read something like this:
“Wheeling 40 miles north of Arbroath Abbey, I cycled past windswept coastlines accented with fishing harbours, and then Stonehaven was reached.
Perched high on 160-foot-high cliffs, surrounded by the North Sea, the ruined castle of Dunnottar can be seen. Here, we meet again with William Wallace, who led the rebels to invade the English stronghold and capture Dunnottar castle in 1297. The English soldiers hurried to the Castle’s chapel, hoping that being in a church would prevent them from being killed. Wallace’s rebels set the church on fire, killing all the soldiers inside. Any remaining 4000 English soldiers that tried to escape from the castle lept off the cliffs hoping to swim to the shore but were smashed to death by the north sea.
After 400 years of being under Scottish rule, the Castle was considered the safest and most secure spot in Scotland. In 1651 it was the location for storing the Scottish crown jewels, making it a prime target again for English invasion. The army of soldiers outnumbered the Scottish fighters. The Castle was lost but not the jewels. The pregnant wife of the Reverand convinced the English general to allow her to enter the Castle to see her friend, and when she left, she smuggled the jewels into her clothes.
In 1685, the Covenanters –– Scots who opposed interference by the Stuart Kings –– were held in the vault of Dunnottar Castle for two months. The 67 Covenanter prisoners, 122 men and 45 women, died of either starvation or disease or were killed trying to escape.
Since then, the Castle has been bought and sold, most recently in 1873, to Major Alexander Innes of Cowie and Raemoir for £80,000.
Leaving Stonehaven, I continued north along the coast to Aberdeen”.
Twenty-four years after Karl’s visit to Stonehaven, Dunnottar Castle was purchased by the 1st Viscount of Cowdray in 1925 and continues to be in the family. George Pearson, the 5th generation of the Cowdray family, owns the Castle. Over the last 100 years, many repairs have been completed to restore the castle and prevent further deterioration. It has been opened to the public attracting over 50,000 visitors annually, including this GlobeTrotter.
In case you’ve missed them, click here for more Karl Chronicles
The Karl Journey is now registered as an official expedition with the Royal Geographical Society
