Going to Scotland, I deliberately decided not to stop in Edinburgh and concentrate on the Highlands - the most poetic part of the country. It's not for nothing that Diana Gabaldon's novels "Outlander" take place here, and local castles are praised by guidebooks in every way. In addition, there is Loch Ness, and it seemed to me absolutely unforgivable to visit Scotland and not try to see the famous monster with at least one eye.
Today, the Highlands is not just an area of virgin nature, where the hillsides are green, and brazen sheep now and then run across the road right in front of the car, but also a giant pavilion for nature filming of historical films. One of the favorite locations of filmmakers is Dong Castle. Locals jokingly call it "the most famous ruins of Scotland", and the girls who watched the TV series "Outlander" unmistakably recognize the fortress: it appears in the telenovela as the fiefdom of the Mackenzie clan, Castle Leoch.
True, overestimated expectations should be tempered at the entrance: from the outside, Dong is magnificent, but inside there is complete desolation. The fortress was left back in the 18th century, when the roof collapsed at the building, and now only the outlines of the past have been preserved here: a dining room with a giant fireplace, a medieval toilet with windows for ventilation and a chapel where ladies prayed when the castle was attacked by enemies. Perhaps over time, Doon would have reached a state of pitiful ruin, but he was rescued by comedians from Monty Python. In 1979 they filmed the film "In Search of the Holy Grail" here.
The guys were really naughty: one hall was turned into the abode of young maidens trying to seduce the knight Galahad, the other - to Camelot: there actors dressed in armor danced the cancan right on the table. They would have driven Monty Python from any decent castle for such a thing, but in Dun they were satisfied with the comedy, and even the leading troupe leader Terry Jones was involved in recording the audio guide. Since then, directors in Dun have been frequent guests.
But Inverari Castle is a completely different calico. Well maintained because residential. No wonder his chambers became the backdrop for the Christmas episode of Downton Abbey. The castle is owned by the head of the Campbell clan, the Duke of Argyll. Outside, Inverari is a gloomy neo-Gothic style with signs of Palladianism, but inside is a classic rich country house. The Duke's special pride is the collection of weapons from the 16th – 17th centuries, however, the living room with French tapestries and Victorian bedrooms with porcelain jugs for washing impressed me no less. Of course, like any decent castle, there are ghosts here. The most famous is the spirit of a young Irish harpist, murdered in 1644 by the Duke of Montrose. They say that at night the ghost plays music either in the bedroom or in the tapestry living room.
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By the way, not all castle owners are as hospitable as the Duke of Argyll. The same owners of the Stalker fortress located near Inverari, which rises on an island in the center of Lake Laich, let tourists in only by appointment. We did not attend to this issue in time, so the legendary medieval building, for which the McCawl and Stewart clans fought for several centuries in a row, were admired from the shore.
The next of the castles we saw - Eilean Donan - "was already filmed in cartoons." The fortress on the Loch Duich fjord was inspired by the Disney animators, who worked on the fairy tale "Brave". According to rumors, they especially liked the stone bridge, which looks like the tail of a sleeping dragon. Eilen Donan is a private property. In 1911, the dilapidated building, which had belonged to the Mackenzie clan since the 13th century, was bought by philanthropist John McRae-Gilstrap and completely restored.
Considering that the castles were probably enough for us, we rushed to the Isle of Skye. It is connected to the mainland by a bridge that sinks into whitish clouds in any weather. When you emerge from their cotton captivity, you involuntarily want to close your eyes: everything around is so blue and green. The cliffs overgrown with emerald grass, which are here called by the true Scottish word "kilt", and the azure sea with fine silver ripples. The only contrasting spot is the monumental Storr rocks, the silhouette of which resembles the Cambodian temple of Angor Wat. At the edge of the sea, there are quarries where raw materials for dynamite were mined. Today they are abandoned, and indeed there are fewer people on the island than goats or sheep, and therefore nothing prevents you from indulging in the illusion that you are the first person on earth. In order to strengthen it, I decide to swim in the waterfall and go down to it along a winding mountain path.
By the way, many legends are associated with reservoirs in Scotland. The mountaineers believed that mermaids lived in the lakes, the beautiful maidens Asrayai and kelpis were dangerous spirits capable of taking the form of horses: you saddle such a horse, and it will certainly drag you to the bottom. But the main star of local superstitions is the Loch Ness monster. And although today the reservoir has been studied up and down, lovers of mysticism still strive here. After unsuccessful attempts to see Nessie and a visit to the monster museum packed to the eyeballs with fakes, we went to see the true attraction of Loch Ness - the ruins of Urquhart Castle. However, it was not without Nessie there. In the castle, we were informed that the monster was seen by Saint Colomba himself, who baptized the Picts who lived here in 565. Meanwhile, scientists believe Scotland's lake legends have a simple explanation. It's all about seiches - standing waves,formed in local water bodies. When you look at the water, you notice that sometimes it begins to fluctuate for no apparent reason. On Loch Ness, I did not manage to see seiches, but I was able to observe them on the neighboring Lake Loch Oich, where there are many times fewer tourists thirsty for sensations, and therefore you are more likely to believe in fairy tales. Still, the legends of Scotland do not tolerate rough commercialization, miracles love silence, and on the banks of the Loch Oich it reigns supreme, broken only by the rustle of the leaves of age-old oaks surrounding the transparent lake. Still, the legends of Scotland do not tolerate rough commercialization, miracles love silence, and on the banks of the Loch Oich it reigns supreme, broken only by the rustle of leaves of age-old oaks surrounding the transparent lake. Still, the legends of Scotland do not tolerate rough commercialization, miracles love silence, and on the banks of the Loch Oich it reigns supreme, broken only by the rustle of leaves of age-old oaks surrounding the transparent lake.
For lovers of the old castles of the Highlands, we recommend visiting Blair and Caudore. The first is the residence of the chief of the Murray clan, and the second is famous for a beautiful English-style garden.
Wildlife enthusiasts should stop by the Aladel Sanctuary or go to the Agraill Forrest Park, home to mountain eagles.
The most popular dishes in Scotland are Angus steak, fish and chips and cheeses, but the main hit is haggis, even eaten for breakfast.
There are also beaches with silver sand on the Highlands, they are called Morar. True, the water here is so cold that you can't swim even in summer, but the place is ideal for walking.
For the freshest seafood, head to Oban. Oysters are sold here at street stalls, and in restaurants you can order crabs and scallops.
YULIA MALKOVA
