A Window Seat At Duntulm Castle

A Window Seat At Duntulm Castle
This is the view from one of the windows of Duntulm Castle, Trotternish, Isle Of Skye, Scotland. Duntulm apparently means the fort on the green grassy headland. Abandoned around 1730 by the MacDonalds, it now lies in ruins close to the sea. I did not know of the history of the castle proper until I did a Google search a few days ago; the Travels In Scotland website has this to say about the castle:

Duntulm has some pretty horrific history. Hugh MacDonald was imprisoned in the castle dungeon, and purposely starved to death after he tried to seize the lands of his family. He was given only salted beef and no water and died stark raving mad — one horrid story says he tried to eat his own hands before the end.

The castle is rumored to be severely haunted. The ghost of Donald Gorm can be seen brawling with other ghostly miscreants in the courtyard, and a screaming, raving Hugh Macdonald also haunts the castle dungeon. Occasionally, the weeping of Margaret (who was shunned by her husband after she lost an eye in an accident) can be heard. The hysterical screams of a nursemaid who ‘accidentally’ dropped a baby out a window and onto the rocks below can also be heard sometimes.

Supposedly, the Macdonalds abandoned the castle because of the ghosts.

Green And Yellow

Green And Yellow
Looking through my 2004 Scotland archives yet again, I found this landscape shot I took in Strathkinness, St Andrews, right outside the wonderful B&B we put up at the night before called No. 1 The Grove (you must stay there if you ever go to Saint Andrews, the place is nice, cosy and value for money!). The original picture didn’t really attract me when I reviewed my shots back then. Looking at it two years later, I found that a panaromic crop would bring the picture very much to life due to the zig-zagging lines and colour. Some levels adjustment has been done in Photoshop to bring out the colours and contrast of the scene.