Crathes and Doune Castles

Crathes Castle

16th century Crathes castle was a gift to the Burnett of Leys family by Robert the Bruce.  Are you noticing a pattern here?  Seems that Robert the Bruce made it a habit of gifting castles and hundreds of acres of surrounding land to folks.  Crathes castle sits on 530 beautiful acres with nearly 4 acres of walled gardens.  This castle stands out for its amazing topiary and gardens.

Egg and Egg Cup Topiary

In particular, the "Egg and Egg Cup" topiarys that date to the 18th century.  We found these interesting - mostly because an egg and cup would have never come to our minds when thinking of topiary.  Whoever designed that must have really been fond of eggs!

Croquet Court and Walled Gardens

Crathes castle also boasts a croquet court and plants that are centuries old.  Like many Scottish castles, Crathes castle, was donated to the National Trust of Scotland.  The Trust works hard to maintain the fine gardens here.
 

Crathes Castle and Garden

Inside Crathes Castle visitors will find Scottish renaissance ceilings.  Hand painted and usually themed these ceilings date back centuries.  Many were covered up only to be discovered by workmen years later.

Ceilings at Crathes

 Crathes castle is purportedly also haunted.  Legend has it that a "green lady" haunts the castle and that even Queen Victoria has seen her.  While she has been seen throughout the castle there is one room in particular that she haunts.  Certainly, our guide believes the haunting to be true as do others in Scotland.  Fortunately, we did not encounter the green lady but I don't think I would want to stay there at night.

Doune Castle

 And then there is Doune castle, the castle we all know from Monty Python.  In the lobby, you can purchase coconut shells so you can clomp like a horse throughout the castle, like in Monty Python!!  We had a ton of fun here as we are both huge Monty Python fans.  They gave us headsets and as we walked through the castle there was narration regarding the movie and TV shows that are filmed here as well.  Namely, Outlander and Game of Thrones.

Doune Castle

 Hearing how they set up to film here was fun.  The grounds are not huge so its amazing that they are able to set up all their outside props in such a small space.  Particularly, for the TV shows.

Doune Kitchen

 Above is the enormous fireplace for cooking in the castle (the kitchen).  

Doune Great Hall

 I think they take bits and pieces of different castles for the shows - filming a little here and a little there.  They definitely use more than one.  Turns out many movies are filmed in Scotland and particularly in the Hebrides.  The landscape is featured in Disney films and Star Wars films among others.  It does have that remote, wild feel.  One last castle and then we are moving on. 

Castles Fraser and Fyvie

Castle Fraser

There have been over two thousand castles in Scotland!  And by far the most per hectare are in Aberdeenshire.  So that is where we positioned ourselves to do our castle touring - Aberdeen.  Our friend, Moray, a fellow sailor is from Aberdeen.  He tried to talk us out of visiting there but we were having none of it - that was our planned staging ground.  For several days we would leave Aberdeen in the morning and head one direction or another with our list of castles to see for the day.  Usually two a day - that is about all you can do or its just no fun.

Castle Fraser

 Castle Fraser apparently is a superb example of a Z-plan castle.  That doesn't mean much to me but it would to castle afficionados.  It is a very impressive castle nonetheless.  

Fyvie Castle

Fyvie Castle was hosting a wedding the day we visited.  Complete with a Scottish bagpiper and antique cars.  Fyvie Castle is said to be haunted and according to our guide all the stories are true!  I must confess we did not encounter any ghosts but do not dispute their 
existence.  Visitors beware!
 

Bagpiper awaiting the wedding party

Armor at Fyvie Castle

 Fyvie Castle is impressive both inside and out.  Inside the castle is an amazing collection of armor and outside an amazing collection of gardens.

 In addition, to the armor this castle is well known for its collection of Raeburn portraits.  A Scottish painter of fame.

 

 You could easily while away the entire day just meandering through the magnificent gardens.  Which we were doing when the rain came!  It rained every day that we were in Scotland.  

More castles to come... I hope you are enjoying.

Craigievar Castle and Tolquhon Castle

Craigievar Castle

Craigievar Castle and Tolquhon Castle were both once owned by the Forbes family.  Forbes was and maybe still is a big name in Scotland.  Craigievar Castle's claim to fame is that it was reportedly the inspiration for the Walt Disney motif.  It is a charming pink seven story castle set way up on a hill.  And although the Walt Disney story is the one most well known the one we remember is the one told to us by our castle guide.  According to the guide the clan that lived in Craigievar Castle and a neighboring clan were feuding.  Think Capulet and Montagues.  The Craigievar Castle clan had a daughter who apparently was smitten with the son of the "enemy" clan.  The two young people had gone around their folks and were having a clandestine "meeting" in the bed of the Craigievar Castle's laird.  Sadly, they were discovered and the young man was given an option.  Be run through with the lairds sword or "learn to fly".  He opted for the latter and jumped out the window (on the top floor).  Needless, to say the landing was not soft.  That window was then covered up and remains so today.  Gruesome story but one that sticks in your memory.

Craigievar Castl

Native stone of the region gives Craigievar its unique pink hue.  In the above photo you can see all the spikes in the castle wall which are actually drains.  They keep the water from draining right down the side of the castle.  We tend to think of castles as defensive structures but for the most part they were just homes with some defensive capability.  Most of the Scotland castles were never actually attacked.

View from the top of Craigievar Castle

 The castles are usually in beautiful, remote settings with the grounds being as stunning as the castles. 

Craigievar Castle

 Craigievar and Tolquhon were two of my favorite castles.  Tolquhon is in partial ruin but I love it as it allows your imagination to run wild.

Tolquhon Castle

 Craigievar is more of a "princess castle" and Tolquhon is more of a defensive castle.  Complete with slits for arrows and a surrounding wall.  It looks like a very defensive castle.  However, all that was apparently just for "decoration".  Tolquhon was never attacked.  But again... you can still use your imagination!

Tolquhon Castle

Tolquhon Castle is often overlooked which is a shame as it fits my image of a castle better than some others we have seen.  Maybe its the courtyard and outer wall that do it for me.
I can imagine the enemy trying to scale the outer wall only to be shot with arrows as they were forced to cross the completely exposed grassy area to actually reach the castle. And then right by the door there were slits for arrows so the folks in the castle could shoot at you as you were trying to get through the door.  So disappointing to learn that what we took for strategic planning was actually all just for show.  Even folks in medieval times were trying to keep up with the "Jones" it seems. 

So glad the decision was made to preserve this partial ruin, although it is now a haven for birds, it still gives you a glimpse into medieval life.  In many ways we found it more intriguing not having a guide to give us the castle story which allowed us to make up our own.  Michael and I spent our time analyzing the various defensive structures we saw and ruminating over how clever it all was.  My advice would be to not write off the partial ruin castles as they are just as interesting to visit as the complete castles and in some ways even more interesting!  A few more castles to come...

Drum Castle

The tower on this castle dates back to medieval times.  Even the additions to the castle date to 1200-1300!  Drum castle was the property of the Clan Irvine for 650 year, having been generously granted to the family by Robert the Bruce.

 Its hard to believe that folks lived in these castles as they are so vast.  But they did until fairly recent times.  Finally, the Irvine Clan donated the castle to the National Trust of Scotland and now we lucky people get to visit.  Not only do we get to enjoy the castle but the castle grounds as well which are spectacular. 

 It is no small feat for the National Trust of Scotland to maintain all the castles in their care.  As you can imagine they require much care... which takes alot of money.  They count on our visits to fund their various maintenance projects.

 There are so many castles in Scotland you would need quite a bit of time to see them all.  Just trying to do that would take away from the experience in my view.  So we settled on the ones that captured our interest the most.  Just a handful.

 Each castle is of course unique.  I loved the gardens at this castle.  The grounds around the castle are a treasure complete with very nice walking trails.

Actually, what I will always remember about this castle are the grounds, the beautiful gardens, the blooming flowers - so, so pretty.

More of our favorite castles to come...

Dunnottar - Epitome of a Castle

My idea of a castle is a stone structure high up on a cliff overlooking the sea.  It would have one way in and that entry would be heavily guarded.  Impenetrable, formidable, majestic.  That castle is Dunnottar Castle in Scotland.  Built on a rocky headland and surrounded on three sides by the North Sea.  The steep cliffs drop an impressive 160 feet!  Scotland has many, many castles but none as impressive as Dunnottar Castle.

The castle looks as though it was just born out of the rock. This narrow stairway is the only way into the castle (you can see it at the bottom center of the photo, winding around the rock).  The castle is in partial ruin with the remaining structures dating to the 15th and 16th centuries.  

But the castle actually dates to medieval times.  Vikings laid siege to this castle!  In 1297, William Wallace (Braveheart) captured the castle from the English during the Scottish Wars of Independence.  He was only 18 years old at the time!!  Story has it that he came up through what is essentially the sewer grate.  Having spent considerable time at the castle as a child he was very familiar with its layout.  A nice advantage!

And then in 1651, Oliver Cromwell laid siege to the castle for eight months.  Devil was trying to steal the Crown Jewels of Scotland.  But the clever Scots had lowered the Crown Jewels down the steep cliff and into a fishing boat.  The fishing boat was being manned by the wife of the minister in a nearby town.  She took the Crown Jewels and hid them under the Altar of the Church.  They remained there for many years.  Now of course they are on display at the Edinburgh Castle.  

Lions Den

Down in this cave like area is where they kept the lion!!  We asked about the lion den and the workers at the castle assured us that indeed they did at one point in history keep a lion there.  

Michael on the top floor of the castle

You can see what a viewpoint you have from the windows.  You would be able to see ships coming from miles away.  And they were sailing ships, so not very speedy.  Plenty of time to prepare for a siege.  

Royal Emblems

Clock!

 

 

Castle Cistern

 The castle became the home of the Earl of Marischal whose job was to protect the King when he was in parliament.  And now the castle is privately owned along with all the land around the castle. 

Its easy to wander around the castle and get lost in imagining what life must have been like.  To wander up to the top floors and imagine looking out to sea and seeing Viking ships on the North Sea.  Our trip to Dunnottar Castle was one of the best sites of our entire trip.  If you were to see only one castle in Scotland this in my view is the one to see!  But we saw many more... more on that in the next post.

Isle of Skye

Just before the Skye Bridge

Scotland in September was very rainy.  It actually rained nearly everyday, some days it rained the entire day.  Sadly, the sky was gray and overcast - not good for pictures.  Nonetheless, we were on a quest to see as much the highlands as possible.  The Isle of Skye is the largest island of the Inner Hebrides and is connected to the mainland via the Skye Bridge.  To see the other islands you must take a ferry (or private boat).  We had actually booked a boat trip to visit a few of the other islands but unfortunately the weather did not cooperate.  The boat tour company ended up cancelling all boat trips for our scheduled day.  It also was too muddy and slippery to do much hiking -darn the luck.

One of many waterfalls

On the drive to Skye we were amazed at the number of waterfalls.  Some small, some majestic.  Everywhere it seems water was flowing down the mountains.  The largest town on the Island is Portree, a port town.  The tides there are 15 feet or more!  So... most boats are on a mooring ball in the harbor.  Boats tied to the pier or the land, on the other hand, just ride up and down with the tide. 

Low tide

The town itself is quaint yet touristy.  Portree is where most visitors find accommodation when visiting the highlands.  It makes sense to stay there but without a car your sightseeing is limited.  Even though driving was a nightmare we were glad we had the car.  Did I mention the "single track roads"?  Many of the roads are only large enough for one car (single track) so if you meet another car coming the other direction someone has to get over.  They have little spots at intervals where that is possible.  But it is only possible at those spots - everywhere else there are just large ruts off the side of the road.  Very rugged.  Needless to say the tow trucks do a lively business.  As well as the folks that sell tires!  You would think that folks would slow down knowing that there could be a car coming toward them right around the bend.  They don't... scary:(

Portree

 Our plan was to drive the Trotternish Loop - a loop road around the north end of the Island.  But again due to weather, all the hiking we had planned was out.  Too wet and treacherous.  At best we were able to drive by and catch the sights from the road.  

Portree

 In my mind that just means we will have to return and visit all the places we missed!

Old Man of Storr

We did drive at least part of the Trotternish Loop.  The Old Man of Storr is a Scottish icon.  Legend has it that it is the gravesite of a giant that lived on the Trotternish Ridge - the pinnacle rock is his thumb. Nice legend but the truth is the land formation is the result of a landslip.  Again, gray, rainy day leads to bad pictures.

Another Waterfall

One day on the drive to Skye from Strathcarron we picked up a lady that was hitchhiking.  Turns out she was Dutch and 65 years old.  Just out traveling by herself.  It was the weekend so she was unable to use public transportation.  We had a cup of coffee with her and then drove her to Skye.  I love the way Europeans just live their lives - they don't seem to suffer from all the angst and chronic anxiety that we Americans do.  Its so nice.  

Kilt Rock

Another Scottish icon is Kilt rock - named for the resemblance to the pleats on a Kilt.  Once upon a time this was dinosaur land.  I found that surprising given the climate and latitude.  But Scotland was not always where it is now - it drifted north from way down south.  Crazy how land masses moved around eons ago.  

Trotternish Loop

Another interesting fact is that Scotland, and particularly Skye, is the scenery of choice for many movies.  Who knew?  As a matter of fact they were filming yet another version of "Fast and Furious" while we were in Edinburgh.  We loved visiting but I don't know that I could live there.  So rugged and just maybe I am not that tough.  But beautiful beyond belief.  Really, you just have to get out and see the beauty of this planet we all live on.  Its stunning.  Hopefully, future generations will be better caretakers than our generation has been!  Scotland also is home to many, many castles.  From the highlands we are headed to Aberdeen.  That will be our "base" for touring castles.  So next up - Castles!