Captured during a staycation in Covid. Eilean Donan is arguably Scotland's most iconic castle.
Visit the artwork here.
This spot is possibly one of my favourite places in Scotland. It is so iconic and sums up a lot of the great features of Scotland that bring so many people to our shores. The stoic hills leading into a huge and beautiful loch, finishing with a piece of history all in one place. It really is a must see place, and by the way the drive through the mountains to reach Eilean Donan is indescribable.
During our staycation, an amazing trip that sparked our shared love of adventuring in Scotland, my wife and I had planned an afternoon of driving north from Glenfinnan to Eilean Donan Castle. You can understand why some people spend so long driving up the North West Coast, every single turn brings another view that can only inspire awe. During this drive up towards the castle I made note of many spots I wanted to camp and then climb the surrounding mountains. These are solo activities as my wife is small hills only!! I have since been back and explored a lot of these amazing landscapes and climbed the surround Munros.
Turning a bend you catch sight of the castle standing proudly in Loch Duich, and it was one of the few places that have rendered me speechless. Approaching the car park the castle becomes more impressive. Parking up we spent about 20 minutes just taking in the view, it really needs time to appreciate. We then went to pay entry and headed in to the castle tour. This is definitely worth doing at least once as you learn so much of the castles history. For instance, the bridge is actually a relatively new addition and through history you could only reach the castle by boat.
We then spent another hour or so wandering the area to get different viewpoints of the vista and were not disappointed. The clouds began to come in but I think this just created an even more atmospheric view.
The last part of the stop that cannot be missed is the cafe. A small hut near the entrance serves some incredible food, the loaded fries are definitely not to be missed!
We finished our day with an impromptu trip on to the Isle of Skye, but a story for another time.
Visit the artwork here.