Possibly The Most Photographed Castle in Scotland!

I get pretty sick and fed up of seeing photos of Eilean Donan Castle but today, enroute home, we stopped in Dornie just across the loch for a picnic and the view down the glen looked very dramatic.

No time to mess around with filters and such like so a few quick shots and back on the road.

We did feel smug as our little parking spot was away from all the hoardes visiting the castle, we had lovely clean loos right nearby and our tuna mayo rolls were sublime!

Apparently Eilean Donan (Castle of Donan) is named after a 6th century Irish Saint, Bishop Donan who came to Scotland around 580 AD.
There are several churches dedicated to Donan in the area, and it is likely that he formed a small cell, or community on the island during the late 7th century.

As is the norm in Scottish history, Eilean Donan was the site of various skirmishes between raiders and various clans and ultimately was destroyed in the aftermath of the Jacobite Rebellion...

For the best part of 200 years, Eilean Donan lay neglected, abandoned and open to the elements, until Lt Colonel John Macrae-Gilstrap bought the island in 1911.
He dedicated the next 20 years of his life to the reconstruction of Eilean Donan, restoring her to her former glory.
The castle was rebuilt according to the surviving ground plan of earlier phases and was formally completed in the July of 1932.

It certainly is a very busy place!