Morton Castle

I called at Morton Castle on Monday at Nithsdale in Dumfriesshire, southern Scotland. That northern kingdom is awash with beauty, but this must be one of its contenders for top ten. It overlooks Morton Loch on the one side, and is itself overlooked by dramatic mountains on the other. Despite the rains I experienced in Lancashire on Sunday, the Caledonian Monday was all calm and blue skies, which reflected off the calm waters of the loch (bottom picture).

The castle itself is part defensive structure, part pleasure palace. Its lack of arrow loops and the presence of pointed, fashionable windows suggest that it was more like a glorified hunting lodge, albeit one that was fortified. This was a place to enjoy oneself while feeling safe, a combination of qualities that few in medieval Scotland were able to experience for long.

The loveliness of the place was almost overwhelming. Below, a couple of lads were sitting in a rowing boat, fishing. Even this innocuous pastime only added to the serenity and delight of the scene. Yet, for all this, Morton Castle lies ruined. It was King James VI, who authorised the 1611 Bible, who set Morton aflame back in 1588, an event from which it never fully recovered.

Similarly, this wonderful planet of ours retains much of its beauty and vivacity but thanks to our Fall, its safety and pleasures were compromised and curtailed. A sense of decay and ruination haunts it and it longs for complete and thorough restoration. Whatever its wonders now, they are nothing compared to its renewal and recreation which God has planned and promised. What a future He is preparing for us! Eden 2.0! 

Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful.” Revelation 21:5