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| BY SHARON WHITLEY LARSEN |

f you love to be spooked on Halloween--or anytime!-
-look no further than Glamis Castle, said to be Scot-
land’s most haunted residence! Legend has it that
among several resident spirits, there’s a lady ghost
in the Chapel, a “Monster of Glamis”—and that the
IDevil himself visited here and still hangs around!

My first impression of this fairytale castle—as my husband and I drove
our rental car down the mile-long, tree-lined avenue one summer af-
ternoon--was dramatic. Suddenly the massive red sandstone castle ap-
peared, its many spires, towers, and turrets reaching to the sky.

“Stop the car!” I royally demanded of Carl. “I want to take a picture!”

I had always wanted to tour this famed castle—pronounced “Glams.” It’s
the childhood ancestral home of Britain’s beloved Queen Mum (Eliza-
beth, the Queen Mother), who died at 101 on March 30, 2002. The previ-
ous month she had endured the death of her younger daughter, Princess
Margaret (Queen Elizabeth II’s younger sister), who was born in a room
at the castle in 1930, the first royal baby born in Scotland in over 300
years!

And the massive castle, generally dating from the late 14th century, has
been added to and changed throughout the centuries. It has an amazing
history. Originally it was a hunting lodge used by the kings of Scotland.
Mary, Queen of Scots stayed here, and so did Scottish novelist and poet
Sir Walter Scott.

It was immortalized in William Shakespeare’s “Macbeth.” During World
War I it was used as a hospital for wounded soldiers. For over 600 years,
since Sir John Lyon was given Glamis by the king, it has been the family
home of the Earls of Strathmore and Kinghorne for 23 generations, still
used today.

Wine Dine & Travel 2016 47