Eilean Donan is probably the most photographed castle in Scotland. Its familiarity derives from numerous encounters from film sets to chocolate boxes. In its current form it dates from the opening decades of the 20th century and is thus representative of a Scottish Revival style that evolved alongside the Arts and Crafts movement. Originally the site of a Celtic anchorite’s cell, the castle name means Donan’s Isle, from the name of the sixth-century saint. It was rebuilt by a descendant of the McCrae clan whose castle ruin it was and inaugurated in the 1920s. The situation is incomparable with a natural tidal moat and mock mediaeval causeway; a photographer’s heaven.
We moved on to Plockton, a fishing village created at the time of the Highland Clearances to provide alternative employment for families evicted from the land by the local landowner who, like so many of his peers, was replacing his tenants with more profitable sheep. The fishery eventually flourished with the herring but declined rapidly when the herring were fished out. Today, the village is an up-market holiday destination with a reputation for good food and simple but charming accommodation. It was ideal place for a restorative stroll and some more photography. Returning to the ship for lunch, past the ironically named Nessun Dorma Guest House (situated between the school and the railway line), we encountered a solitary highland cow resting on the warm tarmac and impeding our progress until shooed away by our driver.
In the afternoon we crossed the new bridge over to the Isle of Skye. Already some 20 years old, the bridge did not become widely used until the Scottish parliament, in one of its first independent acts, abolished tolls that were widely seen as extortionate. We travelled on to the Clan Donald Centre at Armadale to visit the excellent Museum of the Isles where we had an introduction to the complexities of history as it has unfolded in the Scottish Highlands. Following the museum visit there were optional hikes, photo walks, and a garden tour led by the staff.
Returning to the ship for Recap and dinner, we were treated to an on-board folk music session after dinner with Frances Wilkins on concertina and Ronan Martin on fiddle.
