Scotland Highlands: Dunvegan Castle

Before I show off my pictures, I have to mention that they were all accidentally deleted from my camera, and had to be recovered, so their quality is to be desired, but I'm so relieved that they were saved, nonetheless. Also, my camera's battery died while at the castle, so there aren't many, oh, and pictures inside the castle were prohibited, so basically, today's photo blog doesn't have a lot going on for it. Okay, on with the photos!

MacLeod Tables

Our first day on the Isle of Skye was spent touring Dunvegan Castle and its gardens. Alex had to grovel with the people with the keys to the castle, as it's closed for the season. He used it to his advantage that his line of ancestry was once apart of the Clan MacLeod, inhabitants of Dunvegan Castle. Dunvegan is the oldest continuously inhabited castle in Scotland, home to the Clan MacLeod for 800 years. It sits on top of a rocky point, on the shores of Loch Dunvegan. Across the lake are the MacLeod Tables, two prominent hills that look like something cut their tops clean off, so now they resemble tables. Seals frolic in the the sea below, and across the bay, sheep graze on the grassy knolls. 

The path to Dunvegan

Upon arrival, we gathered at the gates of the castle, along with a dozen other people waiting to get in. A man with all of the castle's keys made himself known, and then asked, "Who is Alex Horner?" Alex raised his hand, and the man gestured to Alex and said, "It is because of this man that you all get to visit the castle today," which was then met with applause. We then followed a path that made its way down to the entrance of Dunvegan. Everyone immediately began snapping pictures - we couldn't have asked for a more beautiful, sunny day to visit a castle. The castle was worth the much anticipated trip to the Isle of Skye. It was more than any of us were expecting. It was massive, ostentatious, and considerably warm (I arrived with the assumption that castles and dungeon's sustained similar damp, drafty conditions). Speaking of dungeons, this castle included one of its own, which sent shivers down my spine. It was basically a well hidden away is some dark closet where they would throw prisoners down 30 feet or so, and leave them to die/starve to death. There was no way out. To add to the creepy effect, they had a mannequin sitting on the floor of the dungeon, so when you peered down the well, you saw a haggard dude on his last legs. But other than that, the castle could have easily been mistaken for a palace.

To me, what were far more impressive than the castle were it's exquisite gardens. Unfortunately, my camera's battery had died before I made it out to the gardens, so sadly, I have no documentation of the most beautiful gardens I have ever been in. It was truly enchanting - waterfalls, wood bridges, large plants, dainty flowers, an aroma that made me stop in my tracks and take an even deeper breath - it was an oasis. 

MacLeod Tables and Loch Dunvegan in the back yard

It was a terrific day, aside from the moment that Jasper stood on a hill, just over Oliver, and announced "Rock Slide!" before throwing a rock at his brother's head. Things quickly went downhill from there, but not for long. We returned home, took naps, then embarked our second adventure for the day to Coral Beach. We never actually made it to this white sandy beach, Scotland's only, because we had seriously miscalculated the distance from the car to the beach (a mile long hike which we started at sunset). But the hike along the coast and grassy rolling hills was stunning while it lasted.