Eilan Donan Castle is one of the most famous castles in Scotland, and is allegedly the most photographed castled in Scotland. It is located on the west coast beside the village of Dornie, which is close to the Kyle of Lochalsh and the Isle of Skye. The castle is very picturesque - the setting is fantastic, with the Castle sitting on its own little island out in the loch (which is a sea loch). The bridge over to it is quite impressive as well.
At night they light up the castle and the arches under the bridge which also make for spectacular viewing. And being on west coast you also have a good chance of catching a fantastic sunset behind it, which with the surrounding scenery can make for great photos !
The castle was destroyed during the Jacobite rebellion in the mid 1700s, and what we see today was rebuilt in the early 1900s. I dont know how closely the rebuilding matches the original design. Its quite a standard design for a Scottish castle, with the main keep also reminding me of Duart Castle (which is located on the Isle of Mull).
The castle is located just beside the main road (A87) that takes you to the Isle of Skye, and I have to say that it is very hard to not stop when driving by. There is a good car park and visitor facilities (shop, cafe, toilets, etc). It is always fairly busy as it is one of the main tourist attractions in the area - but I would never say that I've seen it mobbed and too busy to enter.
It is located where Luch Duich and Loch Alsh meet and the pic above shows the view down Loch Alsh towards the Isle of Skye at sunset - the mountains you can see in the far background are on Skye.
Coach tours to the Castle are common, and bring many tourists. They are a good way of seeing Scotland, and usually have a good knowledgeable guide to fill you in on the history. The local area to the Castle has quite a lot to see. There is tons to do on the Isle of Skye, and you also have the picturesque village of Plockton close by which is very much worth a visit. There are also very well preserved iron age broch's in Glenelg, which are quite close by, which I covered in another post.
The castle itself is entertaining and for a reasonable entrance fee you can get over to the island and into the castle itself. Its quite nice inside, but noting that it was completely rebuilt in the early 1900s, so does not quite have the same internals as some other Scottish Castles - however, I was still really impressed.
In Summary:
- It is a great castle and the setting is spectacular - so do take your camera,
- Its well worth the trip - I've been quite a few times and I'm sure I'll go again - also noting everything else that is in the local area including the Isle of Skye which has loads to do,
- It is worth paying the fee to get over and visit the castle if you have the time - but if not, you can stop and take pictures from the land side anyway for free, where you get the best views from.
Links:
The following is also located close to the castle:
Dun Telve and Dun Troddan Brochs, Glenelg
If you want to support important buildings, history and heritage in Scotland and the UK, then please consider the following:
For a reasonable annual membership price, both provide access to numerous historic properties across Scotland which are great for days out. Once you've been a member for more than a year you also got free access to other properties across England, Wales and Northern Ireland (including half price entry during your first year) - so its well worth the investment, plus its all for a good cause.
