Dornie and Eilean Donan

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Eilean Donan Castle

In July, we spent a week in an apartment within walking distance of Eilean Donan, arguably the most romantic and most photographed of all Scotland’s castles. It’s a bit of a cheat though – originally established in 1230, it was destroyed during the Jacobite uprising in 1719 and what you see today was rebuilt between 1912 and 1932 by a British army officer, John MacRae-Gilstrap. The MacRae clan has ancestral links to the area and its war memorial is below the castle walls (see gallery below).

We took a stroll round the exterior after we arrived late on Saturday afternoon, and returned a few days later to look inside. No interior photography was allowed, but I think the exterior is the spectacular part anyway.

Eilean Donan Castle
Clan MacRae War Memorial
Clan MacRae War Memorial
Portcullis and exit
Looking down on remains of medieval tower

In the last picture above we are looking down from the castle onto the remains of a medieval tower (more or less obscured by a tree). Beyond it, immediately before the northern end of the road bridge, you can just make out our apartments. To the right of the bridge is the village of Dornie, and we finished our afternoon / early evening by following the dead-end road through the village to its termination at the small settlement of Bundalloch (just over a mile each way). We could again see our apartments on the other side of Loch Long.

Dornie
Loch Long at Dornie
Dornie and Loch Long
Eilean Donan Apartments

In the last image above, the windows just above the fence belonged to us. I can highly recommend Eilean Donan Apartments which are operated by the same trust which owns the castle. The building was initially constructed as a hotel in the late 19th century, but has been extensively refurbished over the last few years into eleven self-catering units for 2-8 people. We loved it!

Eilean Donan Apartments
Living room / kitchen
Bedroom

We settled in for our first evening, but the view across Loch Long to Dornie kept distracting us from making plans for the next seven days. These pictures were taken around 10pm – it’s wonderful when it stays light so late.

Dornie
Dornie
Dornie

Spoiler alert: we did make some plans. What would the next day bring? Coming next – Applecross.

Scotland, UK , ,

90 Comments »

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  5. Beautiful photos of the castle and area. I can see why it is the most photographed castle in Scotland. It was interesting to read of the connection to John McCrae and the poem “In Flanders Field,” which every Canadian schoolchild learns.

    Jude

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  6. Hi Anabel – what a great idea … I shall remember this … another place I’d love to visit. The Remembrance poem is so evocative and so sad … cheers Hilary

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  8. Friends of ours have loved visiting Scotland, and I can see why. The area does look spectacular and romantic. Bonus on the walking distances from the apartments. You remind me how we stayed in the barn of a castle in New Zealand this Spring. I think the castle was outside of Dunedin, New Zealand. I now see why your post reminded me of this. Stunning photos! Always an interesting post, Anabel:)

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  14. I can see why people think that’s the most romantic castle in Scotland! Although living in a country that has no castles, I have to admit that I’m impressed by most castles I see. Still, this one is gorgeous and so is the surrounding village. Thanks for sharing the photos!

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  15. You have excelled yourselves with the photograhy in this post, especially the first one of the castle. What an absolutely gorgeous spot. I’ve put the address of the apartments in my “forward travels” notebook just in case.

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  16. The mention of John McCrae caught my eye, as he was born in the Ontario town where I grew up. I went to John McCrae primary school, and we used to mark Remembrance Day in the memorial garden of his little stone cottage. Lovely to see he has a connection with Eilean Donan castle.

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  17. Oh my goodness. If it was that light at 10pm in central Queensland we’d be dying from the heat. It is frequently still in the high 30s (or worse) until after dark and often doesn’t drop below 30 all night. It’s one of the reasons Queensland voted against daylight saving. What a difference to the UK. I’ve been in Scotland in mid-summer and it wasn’t as bad as I expected. Although going to bed while it’s still light is something I haven’t ever got used to.
    Looking forward to hearing about your plans. And putting them into action.

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  18. Just back from there. Good you got the weather for it as that makes any trip more enjoyable. A handy base for touring fantastic scenery. Outlander was mostly filmed within the central belt/ east coast castles I think as it would have been very costly to put a large film crew up in Highland hotels/B and B’s when most of the location scenery for that is also available within a day’s shooting of the Cumbernauld HQ. Less rain on the Scottish east coast as well which was a big advantage for day to day outdoor work.

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  19. Your photo of Dornie reflected in the loch is just beautiful. We went to Eilean Donan in August 1999 and Mr ET was caught out doing his imitation of the Highlander from the movie of the same name on the bridge, when some other visitors arrived just as he was swinging his pretend sword. It was so funny.

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  22. I give my hat off to people who create job opportunities via tourism. It is a win-win situation for locals and visitors when it is managed correctly. What is not to love about a castle. Oh, I miss seeing the grandeur!

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  23. love Eilean Donan, even wrote a poem about it (poemblog3.blogspot.com) but totally get you with the fabrications – the all time greatest being on Iona, in my opinion. ..bring on Applecross

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  26. I’m so glad this man restored this castle and it does look great…moody and magnificent ( not talking about Jane Russell). It looks like you had a beautiful time seeing and walking the sights

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  28. We have been to the Eilean Donan Castle years ago but only visited the exterior; glad we did if you say there isn’t much to the interior. We had passed through the region very quickly and I see from your pictures that we should really go back one day and spend more time. It looks very lovely. (Suzanne)

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  32. Looks heavenly. I have seen the castle before we crossed to Skye and North Uist last year. Just from the car, but it was very beautiful. Must have been amazing seeing those amazing views from your apartment. X

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  35. Those Scottish castles are so impressive and I don’t think it really matters that it was rebuilt 100 years ago. Still fairly old and looks amazing.

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  36. Wow! What a gorgeous place. You had beautiful weather, and your photos, with all those reflections, are stunning. I can see why that castle is one of the most romantic and most photographed of Scotland’s castles. I know it was reconstructed, but it might be in ruins otherwise. So I’m glad it was. And your apartment looks marvelous. What a special place this is. 🙂

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  37. I love the first photo of the castle, it’s a beautiful shot 🙂 To me there’s nothing more frustrating than going to somewhere like that and not being allowed to take photos inside, especially when most places encourage you to buy their official guide book 😦 Your apartment looks very nice and I love the photo of Dornie and Loch Long, it looks really nice 🙂

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  38. That first photo of the castle is very lovely. It really stands out given the castle is sunshine and the hills behind it are not. I’m looking forward to reaching here on my coast walk (though it will not be until next year).

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  39. I also think, like Duart, it actually looks like a “castle” whereas Culzean I always thought looks more like an overgrown country house. Excellent photographs and the village of Dornie look quiet and peaceful. You have been very lucky with the weather of late. Hope it keeps up for Applecross

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  40. I’ve been to Eilean Donan, possible on one of the Scottish Six-day weeks for orienteering, which I did through the 80s and 90s. I remember Dornie forest, and may be able to find the map in my tidy up and throw out sessions coming up.
    And you’re off to Applecross! That was very memorable day out. I think I drove over from the Black Isle, down along Loch Torridon, which seemed almost Mediterranean that day. I loved Applecross, and had the pastel painting I did displayed on a wall until the other day when paintings got sorted. It’s definitely staying, though.
    Looking forward to your photos!

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