It's tucked away amidst a housing estate, unsigned and fenced off from the public because it's so dilapidated and at risk of crumbling. Buuuttttt we might have found a well-used hole in the fence that Sarah and I slipped through to have a little nosey around the outskirts. We didn't go in too far and paid careful attention to where we put our feet, but it's definitely one of those things that you do at your own risk.
What we saw was incredible though - derelict and green and so lovely. We only spent 20 minutes there but it was worth it. It was apparently built in 1852-58 as a replacement for the Buchanan Auld House, which burnt down in 1852. It served as the Montrose family home until 1925 and in 1954 the roof of the building was removed. Since then, the building has since (obviously) deteriorated.
We intended to make a stop at the Devil's Pulpit on our way home, but after parking the car and walking 20 minutes towards the path, we were stopped by a police officer. Another tourist had slipped or fallen and were in the process of being rescued; no more visitors were allowed access.
It was pretty interesting to see how many police officers and search and rescue persons were on the scene. Roads were blocked, trucks and utes filled the tiny car park that had been blocked to tourist traffic for Covid reasons. It definitely made us more than intrigued to come back one day hopefully to see it. Preferably in sunnier, drier conditions...
(Two minutes from being turned around)
We were home by 7pm and made it in time before the heavens opened back up. It has just been incessant recently - definitely not the summer we were anticipating!
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