lynneberry57
200 STEPS
Well it certainly took a little longer than the predicted 5hr journey time to get there. Nine hours with only one stop for coffee and recharge the battery for my phone.
Two bad accidents on the A19 and the M90 created tailbacks for over ten miles. On both occasions we stood still for over an hour.
So you can appreciate the delight the next morning, when we were treated to this beautiful sunrise behind the castle.
Named after it's Gaelic name, Dun Fhoithear, literally meaning "fort on the shelving slope"
As far as castles go, it's difficult to imagine a more remote and dramatic location than Dunnatar.
Perhaps with the most impenetrable position of all Scottish castles, this one sits on top of it's own cliff peninsular on the road to Aberdeen, defended on all sides by the forces of nature.
Dunnatar Castle also comes with a good dose of dastardly history with an intrepid mix of torching, smuggling and pillaging.
Add to this some seriously stunning scenery and vistas to rival the best.
There are 50metre high cliffs on three sides of the site. While those are pounded by the North Sea, the fourth is joined to the land. This section was once a peninsular, but it's access was destroyed in favour of a cliff pathway. As a result you can only reach Dunnatar via a narrow, twisting route that ends in a tunnel, making it one of the most difficult Scottish castles to get into.
200 STEPS
Well it certainly took a little longer than the predicted 5hr journey time to get there. Nine hours with only one stop for coffee and recharge the battery for my phone.
Two bad accidents on the A19 and the M90 created tailbacks for over ten miles. On both occasions we stood still for over an hour.
So you can appreciate the delight the next morning, when we were treated to this beautiful sunrise behind the castle.
Named after it's Gaelic name, Dun Fhoithear, literally meaning "fort on the shelving slope"
As far as castles go, it's difficult to imagine a more remote and dramatic location than Dunnatar.
Perhaps with the most impenetrable position of all Scottish castles, this one sits on top of it's own cliff peninsular on the road to Aberdeen, defended on all sides by the forces of nature.
Dunnatar Castle also comes with a good dose of dastardly history with an intrepid mix of torching, smuggling and pillaging.
Add to this some seriously stunning scenery and vistas to rival the best.
There are 50metre high cliffs on three sides of the site. While those are pounded by the North Sea, the fourth is joined to the land. This section was once a peninsular, but it's access was destroyed in favour of a cliff pathway. As a result you can only reach Dunnatar via a narrow, twisting route that ends in a tunnel, making it one of the most difficult Scottish castles to get into.