Published in Scotland Magazine Issue 9 on 20/7/2003.

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Land of a thousand castles

WRITTEN AND PHOTOGRAPHED BY JOHN HANNAVY

Scotland, in the minds of most of us, is defined by its rugged mountains and lochs, and by its spectacular castles. Just how many of them there actually are, probably nobody knows – and few have to time to count them all.

After spending several decades photographing the well-known, and some of the less well-known, I realise that under Scotland’s ever-changing light and weather (four seasons in one day is something we all recognise and love), the power of these ancient buildings to impress and surprise is limitless.

In future issues of Scotland Magazine, it will be my pleasure to share just a few of Scotland’s magnificent castles with you.

We will explore some of the castles which guarded Scotland’s shores, some of the royal palaces and castles associated with Mary Queen of Scots, and some of the lesser-known island castles.

In this issue we have chosen four of the country’s most picturesque castles – Caerlaverock in the south-west, Kilchurn on an island in Loch Awe, Doune in Perthshire, and, perhaps the most instantly recognisable, Eilean Donan on the west coast, opposite the Isle of Skye.

DOUNE CASTLE has occupied a prominent position at the edge of the Perthshire village of the same name, overlooking the River Teith, for over 600 years, originally built for Robert Stewart, Duke of Albany, and Regent of Scotland. The castle and its builder were at the heart of late 14th and early 15th-century Scottish history, and, in 1828, their stories were woven into The Fair Maid o.....

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By John Hannavy

Section : Scottish Castles

Page number : 18