National treasures Bob Mortimer and Paul Whitehouse are achingly funny guys in their own right. Put them together on a fishing trip and sit back and listen to the banter, and they become positively hilarious, especially when joined by the funny-looking but endearing Ted the Dog. The duo are currently on season 6 of their popular Gone Fishing series on BBC. Each episode features a river in a gorgeous part of the country, and a variety of fabulous accommodation offerings. Episode 2 of series 6 features two striking properties in Dumfries and Galloway, where the pair head in search of pike, this time without Ted in tow.
Their first overnight stay, following a fishing session in a secluded pike lake in which they fail to find any pike, is in a haunted castle, Spedlins Castle (aka Spedlins Tower). The castle, a typical Scottish tower house dating from 1450, overlooks the River Annan, north-east of Dumfries and just off the A74(M). The castle is available as holiday accommodation and sleeps 14, so heaven only knows how much it would have cost Bob and Paul for a 1-night stay. As for the ghost, the story goes that a local miller called James Porteous, nickname ‘Dunty’, was left locked in the dungeon with no food or water when the castle’s 17th-century owner Alexander Jardine had to leave for Edinburgh. The Jardine family were so traumatised by the antics of Dunty’s ghost that they moved away from the castle to escape him.
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| Spedlins Tower 2011. Photo by Beshoffs, via Wikimedia Commons. |
The second property featured in the episode is Kinmount House, where Bob and Paul head to for their second day’s fishing. This 19th century country house 3 ½ miles west of Annan was designed by Sir Robert Smirke for the 6th Marquess of Queensberry on land which was granted to the Carlyle family in the 13th century. Its extensive grounds include the lake used by Bob and Paul for their fishing, where they finally catch their elusive pike. Kinmount House is today used as a luxury wedding venue.
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| Kinmount House. Photo by Barry Dale, via Wikimedia Commons. |
Map of Spedlins Castle and surrounding area.
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