Castles one

[Blow-in]

Quiet on the forum....maybe some of our more talented members have raised the bar too high for the rest of us.....so this is my attempt to lower it!

Seemed to have visited a lot of castles this year and even managed to stay in on....here is part one with 2 Scottish castles.

First is Eilean Donan...flattened by the Royal Navy in the 1690s during a Jacobite rising and while occupied by Spanish troops....restored in 1912 apparently for £40 millon (then, not now)!



The castle is on a sea loch on the west coast on one of the roads to Skye and is probably the most photographed castle in Scotland.



Unfortunately photography is not allowed inside the castle.



Castle number 2 is the magnificant Blair Castle on the Atholl Estate more or less in the middle of the Highlands. A highly recommended visit.



You need several hours to tour.



Photography is permitted in the Ballroom.



More in part 2 soon.

Richard

 

[Ripbab]

Nice post Richard. I've been to most of the popular castles. Thanks for the reminder.
I hope to visit again. But perhaps i will steer clear of Blair. ( well the inside )
First visit as a kid, the shear volume of stuffed wildlife freaked me out
Ever since then I've not killed anything unless by accident.

 

[Blow-in]

Nice post Richard. I've been to most of the popular castles. Thanks for the reminder.
I hope to visit again. But perhaps i will steer clear of Blair. ( well the inside )
First visit as a kid, the shear volume of stuffed wildlife freaked me out
Ever since then I've not killed anything unless by accident.

Thanks for the comments....stuffed heads everywhere seems to be a Highland thing.....but brace yourself for the picture below.

I propose the Cross Keys Inn at Salmonby just outside Tetford (no wiser...see http://www.thecrosskeysinn.com/) as Britain's most eccentric pub. I was toying with this for this month's competition. Relaxed drink???



Richard

PS, I should have said that the food is fantastic! No deer or antelope on the menu but the goat sausages at the sausage night (eat yourself stupid for a fiver) were sublime.

 

[streetshooter]

Richard, wonderful photos. My favorite castle is the least favorite for many. The Hermitage. I'm planning on a scanner for the 1st of Dec pay period. I'll scan and post some I did when I camped out there.

Not to cause grief or inspiration but the world's most wonderful Abbey's are in Scotland also..... hint..hint
don

 

[Blow-in]

Don,

Thanks for the kind words. The best Abbeys in Scotland are arguably in the Borders but we do have the ruins of Fortrose Cathedral on the Black Isle and another ruin at Beauly which is about 15 miles from home. I've taken a few pictures of both but nothing I really like....Andy/Wiener has taken some great shots though of Fortrose.

The Hermitage...do you mean this one?

 

[Blow-in]

Don,

Now that my brain is working again I realise that is not the Hermitage you mean....I have also been to the Hermitage Castle and find it very impressive - somewhere I have some pictures!

Richard

 

[thelps]

Quiet on the forum....maybe some of our more talented members have raised the bar too high for the rest of us.....so this is my attempt to lower it!

Well, I am not seeing any lowering of the bar, the images look pretty good to me.
Castles - the geniune ones - are pretty esoteric to me because we don't have any here - not real ones.

So, I look at your images with awe. Thanks for posting, I get to experience then along with you!

 

[petach]

very, very impressive piece of work. For me, the interior shot with arched roof is my favourite. You captured the light very well indeed, fantastic skill on getting the exposure bang on the nail.

I really liked the first bunch of exterior shots too (Eileen) The white clouds as a backdrop to the (slightly) underexposed solid walls is marvellous.

 

[lensman]

Richard,

Great sets [Castles 1 & 2] liked them all

David