Skye, Part 2

After lunch in the cute town of Portree, we drove north along the east coast of Skye. We lost the rare sunshine that had blessed our morning, but the clouds rolling in gave everything a different sort of grandeur.

On Skye, even the cow pastures have waterfalls.

We pulled off at a place called An Lethallt, which was once a loading spot for diatomaceous earth mined a few miles away. Here the sea shore starts to become as spectacular as the hills.

A little river runs down to the sea here, over this waterfall.

Mary celebrates arrival at the Atlantic Ocean.

Driving north, the cliffs only got more spectacular. What can you say about this?

We were losing the light, though, as we rounded the north end of the island and headed back south. I was just starting to think about speeding up the trip back to Portree when we stumbled across another castle: Duntulm, once the seat of the MacDonalds of Sleat. (Sleat is what this part of Skye was called; the MacDonalds were the most powerful family in the Scottish Isles, but this was a lesser branch.)

Most of this castle was built in the 1500s, and one section as late as 1650. It was abandoned in 1732, when a less defensible but more livable house was built a few miles away. There was sign saying not to cross the fence, but since it was twilight and there was not a single other person in sight, we chanced it. So this was a three castle day for us.

Skye is amazing; if you get a chance, go.

Skye, Part 1

This morning, after we toured Eilean Donan Castle, we drove over the bride to the Isle of Skye. What an amazing place, spectacular scenery in every direction, overwhelming the senses.

Our first stop was a ruin called Castle Moil, which overlooks a sad little village called Kyleakin. This spot has been fortified for a long time, and has belonged to the MacKinnon Clan since the Middle Ages. Before that it had Viking associations -- Kyleakin is Haakon's Kyle, and MacKinnon tradition says that the family acquired the spot by marriage to a Viking princess named Saucy Mary. This small keep was built in the late 1400s.

There isn't much left, but I enjoyed clambering around this ruin more than the tour of Eilean Donan. This is my daughter Mary on the path to the castle.

And a fabulous bush nearby.

From Kyleakin we drove north and then west, toward a range of rugged hills called the Cullins. The name may be related to the name of the Irish hero Cuchulain, who is said to have trained in warfare on Skye, under a battle goddess named Scathach. The hills certainly have an ancient association with storms, and Cuchulain has aspects of a thunder god. We drove much of the way on a one-lane road with two-lane "passing places" every hundred yards or so. This was no problem in late October, but I imagine it might be maddening at the height of summer.

We stopped at a busy parking area and took a short walk down to the "fairy pools." That's me heading off into the landscape, with the Black Cullins looming behind.

The Fairy Pools are a series of charming little water falls, with a pool at the bottom of each. They are exactly my idea of fairy pools, and it was a delightful walk.

And that was just the morning.

Today's Castle: Eilean Donan

We started the second day of our Highland tour at Eilean Donan Castle. This is said to be the most photographed castle in Scotland, and you can see why it is on the cover of so many books and calendars. It's gorgeous and has a fabulous setting, on a small island where three lochs come together, mountains all around. Alas it is mostly reconstructed, as I will explain.

There was a castle here in the early 13th century, foundations of which were studied during the 1912-1932 reconstruction. The keep or tower house dates to that time, but the walls surrounded a larger area and the layout was different. In the late 1300s the castle was rebuilt with the walls enclosing a much smaller area, presumably so it could be defended by fewer men. Then in the 16th century a bastion or hornwork was added on the landward side, to mount canons.

The castle saw occasional military action throughout its history, including in the 1715 Jacobite rebellion. Then in 1719 two shiploads of Spanish troops landed here, intending to incite another rebellion. They were defeated, and the British navy then blew up the castle with 340 barrels of gunpowder.

For 200 years it was a ruin.

This is the model of the ruin in the castle display. You can see that the alignment of the walls and the arrangement of the buildings was known, but not much else. The very knowledgeable guide told me that there was enough information to establish the dimensions of the hall, on the second floor of the tower house. He also told me that there is a British military survey of the castle made in 1714, which gives the height of the keep and the walls. So the basic outside structure of the castle is right, although I have my doubts about that cute little round towers that make the keep so interesting. The interior of the castle, though, is mostly made up, and we didn't find it really worth the price of admission.

But what a thing it is to see.

Across the Highlands

After we left Castle Doune around noon today, my daughter and I headed across the Highlands on the A-84/85. It's an amazing drive, some of the most beautiful scenery I have ever encountered. Above, our first glimpse of the Highlands at Loch Lubnaig.

We knew we had really reached the Highlands when we entered a place where there was absolutely nothing around us, not a single building or tree in sight. No long after that we crossed Rannoch Moor, which is the boggy version of absolutely nothing.

I celebrate reaching the middle of nowhere.

From there the road passes through Glen Coe, to my mind a place of supreme beauty. Mountains in every direction.

We parked and hiked down to this little waterfall.

And then we drove on to the sea, about which more tomorrow. Above, the view from our B&B.

Today's Castle: Doune, Scotland

I'm off on a three day adventure with my elder daughter through the Scottish Highlands. We drove out of Stirling this morning, and our first stop was Castle Doune. This is a fascinating place and it has the added bonus of being the place where much of Monty Python and the Holy Grail was filmed. Terry Gilliam recorded their excellent audio tour, and if you want you can listen to him explaining which scenes were filmed where.

The castle was built by Robert Stuart, the Duke of Albany (1340-1420), incorporating some parts of an earlier castle dating to the thirteenth century. Albany was the son of King Robert II, and though he was never actually king he was the most powerful man in Scotland from 1388 until his death. He served as regent for many years, first for his elderly father and then for his nephew when that unfortunate man, James I, was a prisoner in England. Above, two views of the hall tower. The projecting stones suggest that Albany had planned to extend the castle's buildings in this direction, but ran out of either time or money.

The hall.

The servery and the kitchen; food was passed from the kitchen through these arches to the hall servants.

The gate tower, where the Duke's private chambers were. James I had a sneaking suspicion that instead of trying to bring him home, Albany was actually bribing the English to keep him imprisoned. He did not finally escape from his English imprisonment until after Albany's death. So he wreaked his vengeance on the Duke's family, executing his son and seizing all his lands, including this castle, which became a royal hunting lodge.

View from one of the castle windows.

View from the roof.

The castle was restored during the Victorian era, and it acquired some extraneous Victorian stuff. Sadly these delightful gargoyles were one of the Victorian additions.

I contemplate medieval life from the Duke's privy.

Doune is a fine castle, well worth a visit, and a perfect start to our Highland tour.

What Unites America

David Ignatius:

This debate probably told us as much about where the country is as it did about the candidates. Romney’s consistent refusal to expresss hawkish, interventionist views about any of the hot-button issues — from Syria to Iran to Afghanistan — suggested that America really is so weary of war that even the self-advertised “no apology” candidate knew he must temper his views. The country may be divided one many issues, but it’s united in not wanting another war.

National Museum of Scotland

While I was by myself this morning I wandered into the National Museum of Scotland, where I spent my entire two hours in the rooms devoted to ancient times. The place is full of wonders: this stone, from the Pictish country in the northeast, seems to show a bald, drunken old man, "almost a caricature," as the sign says. Might be from the 8th century CE, but nobody really knows, because there is nothing else like it.

Why on earth does the stone above show two bird-headed men pecking at a human head? The sign only informed me that this was a "pagan motif," but it certainly isn't one I've ever seen before.

Nice array of fancy stone tools, including mace heads from the Bronze Age.

This wonderful stone, from around 700 CE, shows a battle scene.

Part of the Traprain Treasure, a huge hoard of Roman silver dating to around 410 CE. It was found in a part of Scotland with strong Roman connections, apparently a sort of client state. The best guess is that this treasure was delivered to the chief as a bribe to help defend the empire's frontier when it was weakened by the withdrawal of Rome's legions. Funny that 1) it was just buried in the ground, and 2) the Picts immediately started attacking the weakened empire.

I loved this Roman altar stone, bearing the symbols of the masons who built Rome's walls, roads and temples.

Though I enjoyed the museum very much, there is much weirdness about the place. Some of the artifacts are in more or less chronological displays, but others are in thematic galleries devoted to things like stone technology or offerings to the gods. Some of the carved stones are in a large exhibit titled "Them and Us." I thought, that pretty much covers everybody, doesn't it? And then there are these figures, used to display their most famous Bronze and Iron Age jewelry. Robot men from the future have come to steal your ancient treasures!

Who thought this was a good idea?

More Edinburgh

Spent more time today walking around Edinburgh. It was a very gray day, as you can tell from the pictures, but pleasant enough. When I took the picture above of Edinburgh castle looming over a fountain in the park below I thought, "with better light that would be a great picture." I later saw postcards of exactly this shot, but taken on a sunny day.

Beautiful buildings everywhere.

When I shot this much zoomed photo of magpies in the park below the castle I thought I was getting seven, i.e., a secret never to be told. But close inspection shows that there eight, which I don't think counts for anything.

Who might this mysterious woman be? Is she perhaps Wisdom crowning the schoolchildren of Scotland with knowledge? Patience crowning them with virtue? Mixed capitalism giving them good jobs?

In the afternoon I met up with my daughter Mary for a couple of hours. We went to the Royal Gallery and then had bland British food for lunch. Smushed peas! Tomorrow we rent a car and drive north.