Dunvegan Castle, home of the Macleods

Dunvegan Castle, home of the Macleods and the Fairy Flag, rescuer of Bonnie Prince Charlie. Dunvegan Castle is the oldest continually inhabited castle in Scotland, sitting on a rocky outcrop, surrounded on almost all three sides by water. It must be in the folklore of all Macleods, who live in farflung places, Canada, New Zealand and the USA.

When I last visited Dunvegan Castle we must have travelled the single track road, all the way from Portree. As I was told that back in the sixties that's all there was.

The above photos were taken on our Sunday afternoon walk to Coral Beach. I will post some more photos of our visit to the Castle.

The Macleods still live at the castle, occupying the upper floors. I heard they also have a flat in London and that the current Lord besides making Dunvegan Castle into a number one Isle of Skye tourist attraction,with hords of buses and ones like ourselves visiting; is also a film producer.

I wanted to refer back to 'In Search of Scotland' by H.V. Morton, who visited in the late 1920's. Back then the 23rd chief, Macleod of Macleod was in his eighties and lived in England. Twice a week the castle was open for visitors to see the Fairy Flag. A middle-aged English woman lived alone at the castle, and as Morton was guided '... through room after room completely furnished, but with the chill of loneliness over them ...' That is certainly not true now with the troop of visitors touring through.

We will re-visit Dunvegan Castle in a later post.

Christy