Today was the 210th day of my BRIT 2012 mile walk and took place
at the beautiful Ballindalloch Castle in Banffshire as a guest of The Lord
Lieutenant, Clare Macpherson-Grant Russell and Oliver Russell.
Clare Russell is the Lady Laird of Ballindalloch Castle, has been the Lord
Lieutenant of Banffshire since 2002 and is the only daughter of Major Sir Ewan
George Macpherson-Grant, 6th and last Baronet of Ballindalloch and his wife
Evelyn Nancy Stopford Dickin.
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| The Lord Lieutenant, Clare Macpherson-Grant Russell and Oliver Russell who kindly welcomed the local Cubs, Scouts and I to walk Day 210 of my BRIT 2012 mile walk at theirBallindalloch Castle in Banffshire |
Clare married Oliver Russell in 1967, the second son of Admiral Hon. Sir
Guy Russell and his wife, Hon. Helen Elizabeth Blades, daughter of Rowland
Blades, 1st Baron Ebbisham. They have three children; Guy, Edward
and Lucy. Clare has been Chair of Queen Mary’s Clothing Guild (Scotland) http://www.qmcg.org.uk/organ.htm
since 1986 and has served on the main board of the Children’s Hospice
Association Scotland (CHAS) http://www.chas.org.uk/
for six years.
In addition, Clare has also been involved with the Moray Health Council,
the National Trust for Scotland and the Scotland Garden Scheme.
Ballindalloch Castle (also known as The Pearl of the North) is a
castle between Dufftown and Grantown-on-Spey in the Moray region of Scotland.
The first tower of the castle was built in 1546. After it was plundered and
burned by James Graham, the first Marquess of Montrose, it was restored in
1645. Extensions were added in 1770 by General James Grant (of the American
Wars of Independence (whose ghost is said to haunt the castle) and in 1850 by
the architect Thomas MacKenzie. It has been continuously occupied by the
Russell and Macpherson-Grant families throughout its existence.
The castle houses an important collection of 17th century Spanish
paintings. The dining room of Ballindalloch is said to be haunted by a ghost
known as The Green Lady.
The castle grounds contain a 20th century rock garden and a 17th century
dovecote. The rivers Spey and Avon flow through the grounds, offering excellent
fishing and the famous Aberdeen Angus cattle herd resides in the castle estate.
The Castle is open during the summer months.
When I arrived at Ballindalloch Castle, the Lord Lieutenant gave the Cubs,
Scouts, Scout Leaders and I a very warm welcome. We all had our photograph
taken underneath the Coat of Arms above the entrance to the castle and then I
thanked everyone for supporting day 210 of my BRIT 2012 mile walk and then we
set off.
,Tim+Atkinson.JPG) |
| Neil Morgan and Giles Sumner from the 1st Aberlour Scout Group and Speyside Explorer Unit & The Estate Manager (Factor),Tim Atkinson |
I was honoured that the Lord Lieutenant joined us for the first one and a half
miles and it was a pleasure to have the opportunity to talk about BRIT and also
to have a good chat about all sorts of subjects. It was a relaxing time that I
thoroughly enjoyed. The Lord Lieutenant’s husband, Oliver, then joined us for
the second mile and a half circuit before they departed to spend some precious
time with their grandchildren. In addition to walking and talking to the cubs
and scouts about their activities and interest in the UK Scouting Association,
I also spent time with The Estate Manager (Factor),Tim Atkinson and
Giles Sumner and Neil Morgan from the 1st Aberlour Scout Group and Speyside
Explorer Unit. I had a great time talking to Tim, Giles and Neil who were super
company and looked after me so well.
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| Ballindalloch Castle in Banffshire with the Cubs & Scouts as guests of The Lord Lieutenant, Clare Russell |
My thanks also to Janice Sumner,
Giles’ wife, who is also a leader with the 1st Aberlour Scout Group and
Speyside Explorer Unit and a bit of star! Janice and Giles coordinated the
visit and made sure everyone had everything they needed and made sure the Cubs,
Scouts, Explorers and I had a fantastic day – thank you!
I finished the day with 665 miles
to go.
With best wishes,
Phil