Alba Ceann mu Dheas - Update - January 26th 2014

[rambuckel]

@noahclem: Thank you very much also in the name of the RFR-Team 

@framly: Thanks, I'm sure we will 

@namspopof, Dantes, ricardomiranda, carlfatal, bat: Thanks a lot 

The journey goes on to Cumnock. A little town about 16 miles east from Ayr. Cumnock is a workers town consisting of some smaller settlements. One of those is the one of the miners. This mine has also been closed and pupils visit it in their lessons about local history. Cumnock serves as a market for the surrounding towns and villages. On the market place there is a statue for James Keir Hardie who was a politician and one of the founders of the Labour Party. He used to live in Cumnock for some years as a journalist. 

Cumnock also has a quite successive young soccer team, the Cumnock Juniors.

Cumnock ,,Center":


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Soccer:


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The miners settlement:


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Slàn leat!

[ricardomiranda]

Beautiful update !

[jmyers2043]

That is a great soccer field.

[Skimbo]

A couple of very nice pics!

[noahclem]

Great set of pictures    I love the market area and the football field is perfect with such high resolution people! There's always something nice to see here 

[Kergelen]

Nice market and amazing soccer field

[Framly]

Great Update! Every picture tells a small story

[carlfatal]

I love these workers homes with the little gardens in the backyard. 
And the old mine museum is cool! 
Greetz, Carl

[Dantes]

Awesome village live  Great work 

[rooker1]

Great update.  The soccer field really stood out for me. 
I really liked the dirt parking lot, the stands and the wall around the field, all great ideas.
I can see a stream/river behind the field.....can we get a higher view of that area?

Robin

[rambuckel]

@ricardomiranda, jmyers2043,Skimbo, noahclem, kergelen, framly, carl, dantes: Thanks a lot

@rooker: Thank you very much. I will try not to forget to take another picture and show it together with the next update.

Travelling on, Finola and Gavin reach Sanquhar. When I first marked this town on my orientation map I had no clue about the interesting facts that this little town offers:

1.   It is said tob e home of the oldes post office in the world (as some say) or Great Britain (as others say) – sorry there will be no pictures
2.   There is a ruin, which probably became part of the name of the town. Sanquhar comes from the gaelic word "Seann Cathair" which means "old seat".
3.   William Wallace and Robert Burns where here. I seriously think of only telling you where they have NOT been in future
4.   Sanquhar became quite an important market place for wool in the 18th century. Every year  in July there was a market which regulated the wool prices in Scotland. There even is a kind of knitting pattern in blue and white which is called "Sanquhar knitting". The knitting is not conducted industrially anymore but the tradition of knitting is still alive.
5.   There is another tradition that I discovered when I did my researches. I'll show you .... 

But let me show you all this in pictures:

We start at Kyle Castle close to Cumnock. It's a ruin nowadays but I decided to recreate it. The example for this was Coxton Tower which is originally Situated close to Elgin north of Aberdeen. It assumed that the castle was built in 16th century. Around 1535 there was an Act of Parliament which obliged all land owners owning more than a certain amount of land to build a tower to defend their land.


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We pass the parking area ...



... follow the street passing some farms ...



... directing towards A76, which we follow east until we reach the next crossing. 



The street on the right side would bring us to the station.



But we will not travel by train but go forward following the A76 passing St. Brides Church where a wedding has just been finished.



Then we follow the A76 which turns right (east) at this point. It leads directly through Sanqhar. First we visit the center, dominated by commercial buildings.


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The A76 circles around ,,Tollbooth House". According to my researches it was a prison at some time. Today it is a museum showing local history and tradition as knitting for example. I was not able to find out why this building is called Tollbooth House. It does not really make sense to me in connection with a prison. I'd rather imagine, that this building or another building which stood at this point before, was used as some sort of tollbooth for wool traders who surely had to pay if they wanted to sell their wool on the market. At least I do not really know it, but the position of the house (directly along the main street) and the name would point to something like this.


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Next to the Tollbooth House there's the market where the annual woolmarket takes place.


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And then there is another beautiful scottish tradition which is cultivated especially in the south of Scotland: Riding of the Marches. Originally this tour on horseback was part of the defense in the broadest sense. Members of the towns and settlements rode along the borders of their estates to be sure that their defense fortifications along the borders – if there were some -  were in best condition and that no English invaders caused any damage. This tradition is cultivated until today although there are local differences in the performance. Some pictures I saw showed riders galloping fast over fields but some also showed a mannerly procession through the city center:


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Some more impressions of the town...


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... and from the ruin which arises on the edges of the town. It is said that Robert the Burce frequented the Castle sometimes. The Castle is abandoned to downfall since about the 17th century. Although a renovation was started in the 19th century, the plan was never accomplished.



Sanquhar is surrounded by farms. There is a little riding school ...



... with idyllic meadows with grazing horses.


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Those happy cows ....


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... belong to family Maccrindle, which owns a large milk farm. The male calves are raised and will be sold as slaughter cattle when they are old enough. And who knows. The meat is probably even sold to a certain fast food chain. The name Maccriddle goes back to the McDonald-Clan.


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Slàn leat!

[noahclem]

Great update     I especially like the tower, the market, and the happy cows 

[dedgren]

Happy cow close up.



That update, my friend, may be both the most and best used custom content I've seen in one place at one time.

K-point worthy, yes.


David

[Framly]

What a great update! I think Yvonne would love it

A well deserved K-Point

[kelis]

Great rural areas, I like your style, looks so fine 

[Dantes]

A great horse show I see.  A beautiful church, a beautiful city. The ruins tell stories and then they farm. RESPECT.     

[rooker1]

Absolutely georgeous update, full of life and awesome ideas!!
If David hadn't given you a K-point for that update, I certainly would have!!
Great work!!

Robin

[Girafe]

Nice update and well deserved point

[Badsim]

Hi Theresa ,

I didn't have commented again your MD since my first comment , having already seen all these updates at Simforum , but it seems that we're almost  synchronised now ( except the jewel BAT to come ...    ) , well maybe not all is absolutely perfect but Alba Ceann mu Dheas has a very particular charm and your attachment and affection for ruralities ( and horses related stuff ) is a blessing for the community . Great use of Namspopof's ploppable sims , your walking crowds are well done and convincing  ...



Hope you'll release all these beautiful and typical BATs ( they inspire me a lot and I did make plans for them  ) !

Greetings !

Cédric.

[nbvc]

The woolmarket looks great and the farms too.