Glasgow: Day 3

This morning we hopped on a train that took us about 20 miles west of Glasgow to the town Dunlop, the historical seat of the Dunlop clan. (American version: Dunlap.) It is a tiny town and seemed almost completely deserted when we arrived. We began to wander, wishing we had looked at a map of the town ahead of time, trying to find the sites we had been advised to see by the Dunlop Historian. We found the kirk at the end of Main Street and wandered through the graveyard. There were a few Dunlops buried there! 

 
We continued to wander up a road and came across a nature park that had been built by the town for the millennium and supported by Dunlop Tyres.

We walked back into the town and met a very friendly shop owner named Norm. He gave us directions to find the Dunlop manor house and Dunlop Hill where the town name originated. (Dun= hill, Lop= bend in the river, which runs along the base of the hill.) Norm even called up his cousin, who owns the property on which Dunlop hill is located, so that we could walk up it. It afforded us a breathtaking view of the town.

After coffee and conversation with Norm's cousin, Moira, we set out on the two mile walk to Dunlop house. The house is currently being renovated and turned into luxury flats, so it was covered in scaffolding and we couldn't get too close. Nonetheless it was great to see it. We could tell it had been a beautiful manor house at one time. We made the two mile trek back to the town just in time to catch our train back to Glasgow.

Upon returning we quickly spruced ourselves up before heading off to a pre-theatre dinner followed by The Mouse Trap at the Theatre Royal. It is a beautiful old building, and being old it had no air conditioning. It was so stifling in the balcony we weren't sure we'd make it through the first half. Cold drinks at intermission helped, but it was still tough to make it through the rest of the play. Note to self: when purchasing performance tickets in old buildings, spend the extra money to sit on the ground floor since heat rises!!

Tomorrow we head to Edinburgh and I am looking forward to staying at the Priestville Guest House again!