Eilean Donan Castle

The island sits where Loch Duich, Loch Long and Loch Alsh meet, and a castle stood on it from the thirteenth century. It was destroyed by naval bombardment in 1719 and left as rubble for almost two hundred years. Between 1912 and 1932 John Macrae-Gilstrap rebuilt it, working from what survived and from a plan said to have come to a family member in a dream, though a set of earlier drawings was later found that matched the work closely. The arched stone bridge connecting it to the shore is part of that reconstruction. It is one of the most photographed buildings in Scotland and has appeared in a long list of films. Inside, the rooms are furnished as an early twentieth-century Highland residence rather than as a medieval castle, which is what it actually is.

What you actually see

• The island setting - a castle where three sea lochs meet, joined by a stone bridge.
• The 1912 reconstruction - a rebuild from rubble after two centuries as a ruin.
• The furnished interiors - rooms fitted as an early twentieth-century residence.
• The Skye road setting - the standard photograph from the lay-by on the A87.

When to go

April to October for full opening; the castle is on the main road to Skye and coach traffic is heavy through the middle of the day. Early morning and evening give the best light and an empty foreground.

Honest expectations

Almost everything standing is a twentieth-century rebuild, which visitors expecting medieval fabric find disappointing. The interior is small and the route short. Parking and the lay-by fill constantly in summer. Photography inside is not permitted.

Nearby

Kyle of Lochalsh and the Skye bridge are ten minutes west; Glen Shiel runs east.