The first stop on our Scotland trip was well short of Scotland. We hit the world wide headquarters of a game the boys have come to really enjoy, Warhammer. We entered into this hobby through a good friend. His family came to the UK (and toured Scotland), dropping by on their way North. While chatting he let slip that they were going to Warhammer World and after a bit of prodding he explained that he and his boys love doing this together. The boys like the 40K version:

Warhammer 40,000 (informally known as Warhammer 40K, WH40K, W40K or just 40K) is a science fantasy game produced by Games Workshop. The game depicts combat between the armies of the fictional universe of the 41st millennium (principally designed by Rick Priestly) using 28 mm scale (approximately 1:65) miniature figurines that represent futuristic soldiers, creatures and vehicles of war. Lines of these miniatures are produced by Games Workshop^[1] and Forge World,^[2] and are available at their high street and online stores.^[3][4] There are currently twelve rival factions to choose from. The ethos is summed up by the game’s subtitle slogan: "In the Grim Darkness of the Far Future, There is Only War."

The business is an interesting one. Their company stores (Games Workshops) are set up to support the hobby where their enthusiast employees teach the kids how to assemble/paint the models, and how to play the game. They actively hold clubs, gaming days and other events to grow the hobby and the business. They have the ‘getting started’ process mastered.

What I like about it is that when I was a kid I built models (mostly WWII), but when they were done that was it. What do you do with them? Nothing. In this hobby you build them, then prime the models and then you can either play the game (quite involved – I marvel at kids ability to retain the nuances of each weapon and statistic so quickly) or do some detail painting. When you look at these models, some of them are unbelievable.

So off we went, to this monster building with 30 game tables where they would lend you an army to play a game on their ubercool gaming tables with unique landscapes. They also have a table where you can take lessons on building and painting and of course, they will also gladly sell you all kinds of things (smile). A cool hobby.

When we finally dragged ourselves out of Warhammer World we headed into Nottingham to see their castle which was a bit disappointing. While the Robin Hood shrubbery was interesting (insert Python clip, bring me a shrubbery!), there was not much else to see except for the war monuments.

The first was a monument to the soldiers in WWI.

The second was fascinating, it was a monument to the soldiers in the Afghan campaign (1830s), which I knew nothing of:

The First Anglo–Afghan War lasted from 1839 to 1842. It was one of the first major conflicts during The Great Game, the 19th century competition for power and influence in Central Asia between Great Britain and Russia, and also marked one of the major losses of the British after the consolidation of India by the British East India Company. From the British point of view, the First Anglo-Afghan War (1838–42) (often called "Auckland’s Folly") was an unmitigated disaster.

I was struck by the below. There is one panel of men killed in battle and two panels of men who died from disease. It must have been miserable.

We then headed to our hotel for the night in Harrogate. As we entered the Old Swan, I noticed the below brass marker:

I had no idea what that meant until I read about it here:

On 8 December 1926, while living in Sunningdale in Berkshire, Agatha disappeared for eleven days, causing great interest in the press. Her car was found near a lake in Newland’s Corner, Surrey.

She was eventually found at the Harrogate Hydro hotel^[6], staying under the name of Teresa Neele. Her husband had recently admitted to having an affair with a Nancy Neele. Her natural propensity for depression, exacerbated by her mother’s death and her husband’s infidelity, may have been what caused her nervous breakdown. She could not recount any information as to her disappearance due to amnesia. Opinions are still divided as to whether this was a publicity stunt. Other suggestions, largely speculation, suggest she was trying to make people believe her husband had killed her in order to get him back for his infidelity.^[7] Public sentiment at the time was negative, with many feeling that an alleged publicity stunt had cost the taxpayers a substantial amount of money.

A few more pictures. The Old Swan, very pretty.

As we walked to dinner I noticed this shop .. look at the opening date (1860). Now closing …

And we had yet to hit Scotland ….