Her tilbyder en høne at hjælpe med at slæbe mit videokamera.

Kameraet ligger i den store kuffert og videobåndoptageren har jeg på ryggen.

The castle is on an island in the middle of the River Dee; even getting to it is an exciting and romantic experience in itself.

From Kelton Mains farm there is a ten minute walk through fields and past woods until you arrive at the shore of the River Dee.

There you will find a small jetty and a brass bell with a rope pull. Ring this bell loudly and the boatman will come across from the island to take you to the castle.

A Stronghold of the Black Douglases

Threave Island may have been the home of the ancient rulers of Galloway, but today’s castle was built at the end of the 1300’s by the powerful Archibald Douglas, known as “Archibald the Grim”

Archibald’s father, Sir James Douglas, “The Good”, had been entrusted with taking Robert the Bruce’s heart to the Jerusalem, but had been killed in Spain fighting the Moors (and Bruce’s heart was brought back to Scotland and buried at Melrose Abbey). He also put down the rebellious Gallovidian chiefs when they had sided with the English. His cousin, William Douglas did the same in 1353.