The Highlands, Part Six: Eilean Donan Castle

There can be only one...HIGHLANDER!

I've never actually had the good fortune to view any of the Highlander installments, so my knowledge of the film series is limited to the completely inane casting. That is, the intentional casting of arguably the most famous Scot in the world (Sean Connery) as a flipping Spaniard while handing the title role to a Frenchman (Christopher Lambert). Reality, stranger, fiction--wash, rinse, repeat.

My complete ignorance of and disinterest in the Highlander movies notwithstanding, I was pretty pumped to visit the films' most iconic set: Eilean Donan. But first, some photos from the Great Glen as we trekked up there.

The Great Glen is a series of lochs and moors that run the width of the country, effectively cutting the Highlands in two. The main thoroughfare through the Highlands, A82, passes through the Glen, making most drives to the northern reaches of Scotland an absolute treat for old fuddy-duddy romantics such as myself.



One of the bajillion or so lochs that stretch across the Great Glen. I'm not actually sure which one this is, but it's on the way to Loch Garry.


As seen from A87, Loch Garry is a smallish loch that drains into Loch Oich, a larger body of water further down the Glen. As you can see from this vantage point, Loch Garry bears a striking resemblance to a map of Scotland. Consequently, Loch Garry is often referred to as "The Loch of Scotland."

Here's a second shot just to drive home the resemblance. And because it's pretty. A few times a month, usually when I'm sick of writing papers or running experiments, I look through a small collection of my Scotland photos--most of them stark landscapes such as this one--and fight the urge to drop my studies, run off to the Highlands, and open a B&B. Repeat after me: "I will finish my Ph.D. I WILL finish my Ph.D."

And now for something completely different. Moral of this photo: Asshattery in foreign countries makes for fun photos. Hot damn, I love that hat.

Okay, okay, enough lollygagging around. I visited Eilean Donan on a three-day trip to the Isle of Skye. As you can see, the weather left quite a bit to be desired. My companions and I were worried that the weather wouldn't cooperate and we'd be stuck with lots of washed-out pictures of the Cuillin mountains. We had traveled up from Edinburgh, through Stirling and Glen Coe, in a big yellow Mercedes bus, hoping to catch a glimpse of the Isle of Skye in all its glory, and we were met with muck and mire. Gee, thanks, Scotland.

So it wasn't sunny. That's not to say it wasn't gorgeous. The castle is situated on a small island in the middle of Loch Duich; the island, which earned its moniker from either some guy named Donan or the Gaelic word for otter, has been the site of the castle for the better part of seven centuries. However, the original structure was severely damaged by Crown forces after a minor Jacobite uprising in 1719. The castle lay in ruins until the early 20th century when it was purchased by the chief of the clan MacRae and reconstructed according to the original specifications.

Unfortunately, photography was not allowed inside the castle, so I can't show you any of the antiques or the historical oddities, such as locks of Bonnie Prince Charlie's hair, or samples of his chicken-scratch handwriting. I do have a picture of Loch Duich from the back of the castle to share, and if you look toward the background, you'll see the peaks of Skye's Black Cuillins.

Another view of the loch from the rear of the castle.

I'm happy to report that by the end of our visit to the castle, the clouds began to dissipate and the sun emerged. Scotland has a funny habit of making you think the weather will be absolute crap, only to turn around and bless you with a nice sunny day for sightseeing.

Finally, a trip to an authentic Highland castle would be incomplete without a Scottish piper. Next up: the lovely Isle of Skye...