As part of the WordPress Daily Post Weekly Photo Challenge theme of Tour Guide, I thought it might be of interest to find something that ties back to this week’s Tuesday Photo Challenge of Exotic.

My favorite island of the Inner Hebrides is Skye, for its amazing, rugged landscape and mountainous range that are just a dream to photograph, as every different incident angle of light creates a completely new environment, sometimes even otherworldly.

One of the interesting places to visit on the isle of Skye is Dunvegan Castle, the seat of the MacLeod of MacLeod, chief of the Clan MacLeod. Probably a fortified site from the earliest times, the castle was first built in the 13th century and developed piecemeal over the centuries. In the 19th century the whole was remodelled in a mock-medieval style. The castle is built on an elevated rock overlooking an inlet on the eastern shore of Loch Dunvegan, a sea loch.

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Monkey Puzzle Tree

 

The castle sits on a massive site on Skye, much of which is cultivated into a stunning garden that includes many exotic species, such as the tree in this photo.  The people standing next to it give you a sense of the scale of this wonderful tree.

If you’re ever visiting Skye, the castle and its grounds are well worth a look!

Have a wonderful day!

7 responses

  1. We has a monkey puzzle tree in the back garden of the bungalow. It stood over fourteen feet high and took up too much space, so we advertised it for sale, buyer collects. What we didn’t add was that they would have to dig it up! We got £50 for it, and the couple who bought it were extremely pleased as the small one they’d purchased for almost as much had died. It had an eight foot diameter ball root and took the four of us to carry it out to their trailer.

    1. They do get very tall and this one was stunning! I can imagine that it was quite a job to move your tree!

      1. It was an entertaining experience! The girl had to jump on her shovel as it was almost as big as her, but the pair dug away with gusto for their prize. Our garden was tiny, so this tree, plus a huge pond some 8 x 6 x 4 high and a 6 x 8 shed left little room other than a path for access! It all went over time.

  2. What a stunning tree!

    1. Thank you! It certainly is!

  3. […] Dunvegan Castle Gardens – Dutch goes the Photo! […]

  4. Beautiful tree! I visited the Isle of Skye a few years ago, but didn’t make it to this castle. Sure wish I could have!

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