Today, Peggy, our grandson Cody, and I are continuing the series on the CIE bus tour we did of the Scottish Highlands. All photos are taken by either Peggy, Cody or me unless otherwise noted.
Clouds and lack of sun combined for a few minutes to give Eilean Donan Castle a look that the director of a horror flick might find appealing: Dark, brooding, and threatening.It’s likely that the namesake for the Eilean Dolan Castle was the Irish Bishop Doland who came to Scotland around 580 CE and may have established a small monastic cell there. I thought that this statue of him looked scary enough the fit in with the photo above. Imagine: You knock on the castle’s door and he answers. Possibly a vampire was lurking in the area. Or a Viking.The castle was actually built during the 13th Century CE to discourage Viking raids. A replica of a figurehead from a Viking ship is kept on display at the castle as a reminder.A Google map shows the location of the castle. Its position at the head of Loch Alsh and Loch Long would have provided valuable protection for areas behind it that the Vikings might have otherwise ravaged.This view out from the Castle, including a small boat on the Loch, shows why Vikings would have had a difficult time slipping by.While the Castle succeeded in its efforts at discouraging Vikings, it wasn’t so lucky in its support for the Jacobite rebellion. It was occupied in 1719 by Spanish soldiers who were allies of the Jacobites in their efforts to restore the exiled Stuarts to the English throne. They were thwarted by the power of the British Navy. Three warships spent three days bombarding the castle until its surrendered. The British then used 16 barrels of gunpowder stored by the Jacobites to blow the castle apart.The castle remained in ruins for nearly 200 years until 1912, when Major John MacRae-Gilstrap undertook the challenge of rebuilding it. This historical photo of Eilean Donan on the Castle’s website shows what it looked like as a ruin.The massive rebuilding project took nearly 20 years. The result is what we see today. For some reason, the normal tour of the living quarters was not open the day we visited. Consequently, we spent most of our time admiring the Castle from the outside.A view from the parking lot.I borrowed this excellent diagram from the Great Castles Website, which is dedicated to protecting castles. We started our exploration from crossing the bridge (1) to the castle.This was our view after crossing the bridge. The walkway to the left took us to the entry door. The right took us around the outside of the castle.The castle’s portcullis (15), is the historical entry to the castle. It would have featured a heavy, spiked gate that could be dropped quickly to keep out invaders. I wonder if they ever used it on tourists? Grin. Actually, we entered from a much smaller door in the building on the left and explored the ground floor, which displayed the historical information shown above.The Keep as viewed from the inner courtyard (10). What appears to be stone steps lead up into the Keep. If so, I think I would pass. One thing for sure, an invader would have a tough time making it to the top.A gateway from the courtyard provided the view out to the loch that I used above.View looking north from Eilean Donan Castle showing the surrounding countryside.Following the pathway (3) to the right provided different perspectives on the Keep.A final view. I think that the building to the right was the west guard tower (9). Now, on to the Island of Sky and the Dunvegan Castle.If you are searching for a castle with the ‘original’ look of a Scottish castle during Medieval times, you need look no further than Dunvegan. It’s a bit of fake news, however. The unified battlements that run along the top of the castle were added by Norman MacLeod (the 25th Chief of Clan MacLeod) during the 1840s. This Baronialisation, as it is known, was quite popular in Scotland during the Nineteenth Century. Prior to MacLeod’s remodleing effort, the castle had consisted of several different buildings with the first being built during the 1300s.Another view of the remodeled castle.The location of Dunvegan Castle as shown on a Google map. Eilean Donan is nearby off to the right. Both castles saw their initial start in the 1300s: Eilean Donan to discourage Viking invaders and Dunvegan Castle by the descendants of Viking invaders.A marble bust of Norman MacLeod, chief of the Clan MacLeod during the middle of the 19th Century, was located just inside the castle doors. A bust of his sister, Emily Sarah MacLeod, was also located there. Both were instrumental in using the family’s personal fortune to feed, employ, and care for his clan’s 8,000 tenants on Skye during Scotland’s potato famine. They deserve great credit for their efforts.We were also greeted with this bull’s head when we entered the castle. There’s a story, naturally. The words up on top say “Hold Fast.” It is the motto of the MacLeod Clan. It, along with the bull, makes up the MacLeod crest. According to the legend, Malcolm MacLeod, the 3rd Chief of the clan, was returning from an affair with the wife of a rival clan chief when a wild bull attacked him in the woods. His clan members, too far away to help, yelled “Hold Fast, MacLeod!” He did, wrestling the bull to the ground by the horns and stabbing it with his dirk. Thus the motto and the crest. As we wandered through the castles we came across a bouquet of peacock feathers…And a bouquet of flowers. As we had discovered in each castle we visited, portraits of various family members were on prominent display.I found this portrait of Joan MacLeod at Dunvegan particularly well done. She was one of the first women to graduate from Oxford University.This lion wasn’t bad either.Looking up a blocked stairway we spotted the fake rat sneaking up on a real key. The red eye means he is one bad rat! I think.Farther up the stairs was a scary looking maid delivering food. Or was she a ghost?A couple of historical artifacts were of particular interest. One was this tattered Fairy Flag. Legends claimed it was a gift from the fairies to an infant chieftain, or as a reward for defeating an evil spirit, or as a gift to a chief from a departing fairy-lover. Powers ranged from protecting various clan members, to curing a cattle plague, to bringing herring into the sea loch at Dunvegan. It was versatile to say the least. I don’t have a clue what the red line relates to.A cannon on the ramparts pointed out toward the Dunevan Loch, which is the direction invaders by sea would have attacked. These were mainly rival clans, which, if having affairs with rival clan chiefs’ wives like Malcom MacLeod did was common, isn’t surprising. Next, on to the Earl’s Castle, or Palace, as he apparently preferred.There is something about ancient ruins that attract me, and most people, I think. They speak of another time, a different world. The Earl’s Palace was built by Robert Stewart, the first Earl of Orkney starting in 1569. Robert was the illegitimate son King James V and his mistress Euphemia Elphinstone, which sounds like a great name for a mistress to me— picturing a stoned, euphoric elf. Admittedly, I have a strange mind. Euphemia actually derives from Greek and means well-spoken. Elphinstone refers to a farm/region and is a Scottish Clan name. This Google map shows the location of Earl’s Palace on Orkney.The occupation of the palace was short-lived— ending with the overthrow of the Stuart Earls in 1615. Gun holes at ground level in the walls surrounding the palace indicate that the Earls were expecting trouble. By 1700, the roof had caved in. An inside photo of the palace’s ruins.A photo of Peggy inside the castle. Various signs were posted around the palace explaining what the various rooms were used for.Outside, I found this cocky fellow wandering around the yard and wondered if he might be the reincarnation of the Earl.If so, maybe this was the Countess.This quonset hut facing the palace also caught my attention. I was drawn to the old red doors. Several bloggers I follow frequently feature doors. I wondered what the signs said. No Parking. Isn’t it a great door? But what was the smaller sign about?Who needs a guard dog when you have a ferocious rabbit?Not just any rabbits were protecting the property. These were highly trained rabbits. Our grandson, Cody, caught a photo of the rabbits a few miles away ( I used it in an earlier post).They were absolutely ferocious, wouldn’t you say. Or do they have something else on their minds… This is a good place to end this post!
Our next post on the Scottish Highlands will feature its great scenery and quaint towns. Before that I am going to start a new series featuring the beauty of America’s national parks in celebration of the nations 250th Anniversary. First up will be Arches National Park.
The hydrangeas couldn’t disguise or hide the House of Stuart’s castle-like appearance.From any angle.Taking the long view.Or the top one. The roof even included turrets, which are great for providing wrap-around views of invading enemies. (Although one might wonder why it featured stained glass windows instead of cannon ports. But maybe the round windows were fake news.)The creme de la creme of the Stuart House’s castle-like appearance were two medieval lions perched above the entrance.Both with their tongues sticking out. The tongue means they are roaring and are ready to fight! The message is “To get to the castle, you have to go through us!” See below.Would you challenge this lioness with her mouth stretched wide, fangs showing, and tongue sticking out! We certainly didn’t— even though, as it turns out, it was nap time and she was yawning. We took this photo when we were on a safari in southern Africa.
Entering the ‘castle,’ changed our mind about its pedigree. It was a house, after all. A very big house.
What castle comes with a star studded roof featuring constellations?Ursa Major can be seen on the left.Or turn a ferocious lion into a chaise lounge by covering it with a thick, soft, furry blue blanket and invite visitors to sit on it.Or uses stained glass windows for depicting myths. This is the golden fleeced ram who became the zodiacal Ares while its fleece became the object of Jason and his argonauts’ quest. There’s a back story: “The cloud nymph Nephele placed her children, Phrixus and Helle, on the flying ram to save them from sacrifice. Helle fell into the sea and drowned, but Phrixus safely reached the distant land of Colchis.” He sacrificed the ram to Zeus in thanks and gave the fleece to the local king. How’s that for gratitude? Zeus did send the ram’s spirit off to the stars.A unicorn needs no introduction. Note how the star theme from the roof is continued in the stained glass windows. There are a number of other fun and interesting stained glass windows.Several tapestries reflected life at the castle and within the Highland Society. This is the Highland Games version of shot put using a rock instead, i.e. rock put.
As it turns out, the Mount Stuart House is a Neo-Gothic mansion designed by Sir Robert Rowland for the 3rd Marquess of Bute, John Patrick Crichton-Stuart, who, at the time, was considered the richest man in the world. He was also something of a Renaissance man. In addition to being a Scottish Landlord with vast holdings, he was an industrial magnate, scholar, antiquarian, architectural patron, and philanthropist. (And don’t we wish our modern crop of billionaires were more like him.) His interest are reflected in both the exterior and interior of the house. The mansion was the first home in Scotland to be lit by electricity and was an early adopter of a telephone system and central heating. It also claims to be the first house ever to have a heated swimming pool inside. Located in the basement, we didn’t get to see it.
This is the location of the house. A ferry boat took us over to the island.In addition to the stained glass windows and tapestries, we found a number of other items of interest in the castle, such as this bed. The coat of arms behind it is the combined coat of arms of John Patrick Crichton-Stuart and of his wife, Gwendolen Mary Anne FitzAlan-Howard, representing the joining of the two families.A close up. Note that the lions have their tongues sticking out. One blue and one red, matched by their claws. The blue or azure tongue comes from the Crighton-Stuart Family and the red or gules tongue from the Fitz Alan-Howard Family.A large library of over 25,000 books on a variety of subjects ranging in age from 1477 up until today. It’s easy to picture myself sitting in that red chair reading away. A beautiful marble staircase connected the first and second floor.Peggy, Cody and I also took time to explore the extensive grounds surrounding the Stuart House. Here, Cody caught Peggy and me walking across the large lawn in front of the house to check out the Firth of Clyde. Looks like I have a big foot! (Actually I do: Size 14.)Where sailors were enjoying a pleasant day on the water.The back of the house had extensive landscaped gardens.Which were quite beautiful.A close up.Cody even found a loaded camel! That’s it for today. Next up from Scotland: Three castles in one post.
We are continuing our exploration of the Scottish Highlands that we went on this summer along with our grandson Cody. Today we are visiting Castle Dunrobin. All photos on this post were taken by either Peggy, Cody, or me unless otherwise noted.
I chose Peggy’s photo of the castle because it also features the Versailles-like gardens below. She used her iPhone, which demonstrates the phone’s capacity as a camera— not to mention Peggy’s eye for photography. The castle has 189 rooms, making it the largest ‘house’ in the Scottish Highlands. And why is the Disney theme song playing in my head?
Peggy and I can never pass up visiting castles, so we were excited when the CIE tour of the Scottish Highlands featured five. I’ll do another post that includes the other four, but today is Dunrobin’s turn. The original castle, built in 1235 CE, was a square keep with thick walls, obviously built for defense. It has come a ways since! Dunrobin owes its present incarnation to Sir Charles Barry, the architect famed for designing London’s House of Parliament. It was his vision in the 1800s that changed the medieval fortress into what we now see now.
The google map above shows the location of Dunrobin in the Scottish Highlands.When we arrived at Dunrobin, a daily show that demonstrates falconry was taking place. We hurried down the 70 or so steps to catch it. You can see the crowd that had gathered to watch the demonstration across the garden on the right. Barry was also responsible for designing the garden.I stopped to photograph the tunnel.Andy Bunting is the resident falconer at Dunrobin. He’s been doing the demonstrations two times daily during tourist season for several years. Among the birds of prey he features are falcons, hawks, eagles, and owls. This is a Harris Hawk. Note the gloved hand. Those talons are sharp. You don’t want them digging into your hands or arms. The straps hanging down from the legs are called jesses. They help the falconer keep control of his birds. Hawk set off by Andy’s white hair! I couldn’t resist including this photo. Falconry has been around for 3-4,000 years. It started as a way to catch food in ancient Mesopotamia, Central Asia, and Mongolia, and morphed into the ‘sport of kings’ during the Middle Ages. Laws were even developed to classify which classes could fly which birds. The curved beak helps assure that caught food/game doesn’t escape.“Hello.” “Where’s dinner? Show me a bird with a red breast and it will be a Done-Robin.” Harris hawks eat small mammals like rabbits and squirrels, reptiles, and birds.There weren’t any birds, rabbits, or snakes to eat, but Andy had a volunteer run across the field dragging a ‘rabbit’ behind him.If you have a dog that likes balls, sticks, frisbees, etc. thrown for them, you will recognize this look. “Throw it! Throw it! Throw it.”The ‘rabbit’ didn’t get far!“Mine!” The hawk seemed to devour it. I suspect there were goodies hidden on it. Birds weren’t the only wildlife to be featured at Dunrobin Castle. After the falconry we explored the castle on our own and found…And found a lion.It was flat.And a flat lioness. The dukes and other nobility connected to Dunrobin Castle were avid hunters. Their castle was filled with reminders.I have seen dozens of stuffed and mounted deer heads in my life. But I have never-ever seen a fully stuffed buck!A close up. I don’t think you would want to argue with this fellow. I wonder if its ghost wanders the castle at night searching for the person that shot him and had him stuffed. Or maybe…He goes to visit his herd. Each one of these heads had a plaque beneath it that tells who shot it, when, where, and its size. One announced that the deer had been killed by the Duke of Sutherland in Dunrobin Forest on September 28, 1932. It had 10 points (antlers with 5 on each side) and weighed 25 stone. Translated 350 lbs, 158 kg, or, for fun, 5600 ounces.There were also sculptures of hunted animals. Fox hunting was big among nobility. This was presented to the Marquis of Stafford. For those of you not up on your nobility rankings it goes: Duke / Duchess, Marquess / Marchioness, Earl / Count / Countess (Earl in England/Count in Europe), Viscount / Viscountess, and Baron / Baroness. Now you know how low to bow. The official job of the Marquess in earlier times, btw, was to be located on the most dangerous border and keep the enemy out.I get the sculpture of the fox. It’s rather handsome. But why someone would want the sculpture of a dying heron with an arrow through it, escapes me.As we wandered through the castle, there was a fair amount of art. Much of it was portraits of family members.We liked this view of the children and their dogs. Note the girl feeding the deer! That’s a twist on the family theme.A mother and child, Madonna-like scene, carved in marble. (Looking at it just now, I was struck by the thought, “Does the baby have an erection?” Forget the Madonna idea. A future Duke perhaps?)This young woman carved from marble is worried about something. It’s likely from a myth. I’m thinking Artemis and Actaeon where Actaeon comes upon the goddess bathing and she turns him into a stag. If she was embarrassed by one man, what about the thousands that see her every year now. Watch out guys! You know what happens to stags in this neck of the woods.What’s a castle without a tapestry?We were all impressed with the beautiful flower arrangements found throughout Dunrobin.Speaking of being impressed, the library had over 10,000 books. Wandering through the various rooms gave us an idea of life in the castle. A separate wing of the Dunrobin Castle is still maintained as a family residence. It is currently occupied by Alistair Charles St. Clair Sutherland (the 25th Earl of Sutherland and Chief of Clan Sutherland), and his wife Gillian.The dining room showed the usual look and elaborate settings of most formal dining rooms we have seen in castles.My preference is always for the informal dining room. But hey, I’m a country boy.Nice hobby horse in the kids’ room. A dapple grey? You can bet that it came with a full time nanny.This is the seamstress room. Rumor has it that it once came with a ghost. The Earl of Sutherland in the 16th Century captured a beautiful girl and wanted to her to marry him. She said “no,” so he locked her up in the seamstress room to reconsider her decision. When he came back to see her, he found that she had fashioned a rope out of cloth and was escaping to the ground. Out of anger he whipped out his sword and cut the rope, causing her to fall to her death. She came back to haunt him. Rightfully so.Every historic castle worth its beans, has to come with a room dedicated to war including what the soldiers wore, the weapons they used and, often, where they fought. Dunrobin was no exception.I had a question about number 4, however.Checking out the views from the castle is always interesting. This was looking down on a section of the gardens. The gardens were actually made narrower as they went out to create a perspective of greater distance.This window provided an unusual focused view of the old Castle walls that Barry had added to. As we left, I caught a photo of the front of Castle Dunrobin and its clock tower. A person to the right of the greenery provides a perspective on the size of the castle.It was time for us to move on to our next adventure in the Scottish Highlands, and time for me to wrap up this post.
Wandering through Time and Place 