After about an hour or two drive from Glasgow, through Rest and Be Thankful, we arrived in Inveraray, a beautiful small town. Nearby is Inverary Castle, home to the Dukes of Argyll, chiefs of Clan Campbell.
They have some beautiful black Highland cattle.
We enjoyed a tour of the castle's extensive interior. No photos were allowed inside, but there was plenty outside to photograph. The azaleas were in full bloom.
Wow look how blue the sky is! When the sun does come out in Scotland, the colors are so vivid.
The original castle on this spot had been here since the 1400s. At the time, the village was a collection of cottages very close to the castle. The third duke had the old castle demolished. The current Inveraray castle dates back to 1744. This castle isn't a true castle in the traditional sense (used for defense), but a Georgian mansion house in a Gothic style. It took about 40 years to complete. After a fire in 1877, a third floor was added along with the conical roofs on the corner towers.
I love these beautiful old trees covered in moss.
The old village of Inveraray, which was very close to the castle, was moved a short distance away. The fifth Duke of Argyll had the town constructed on it's present site beginning in 1770. This is one of the best examples of an eighteenth century town in Scotland and most of the buildings are protected because of their architectural significance. This is one of the prettiest towns I've seen.
Dun na Cuaiche sits on a hilltop far above the castle, near the site of an Iron Age fort.
Millions of bluebells grow on the castle grounds. They even have a Bluebell Festival here at the castle in May and children dress up like fairies.
The gardens were incredibly beautiful and large. We had a nice long stroll through them.
To learn more about the castle, especially the interior, click here for the
ground floor. After you view that, there's a menu to the side where you can select the other floors.
Thanks for checking out my photos!
Nicole
www.nicolenorth.com
Thanks for sharing your photos. Gorgeous grounds.
Nicole:
I'm so jealous. We ran out of time and I didn't get to see Inveraray. It's beautiful!
Thanks for sharing the photos.
Teresa
Wow, gorgeous! The sculpture and the castle with the storm clouds behind it--amazing shots. I also like the one that's a full frontal of the castle. Thanks for posting these!
I've driven through Inverary about a million times. I don;'t think I ever stopped at the castle. I did visit the jail :) Lovely blog post :)
Loved the pictures. Thank you for sharing!
Nicole,
You've taken some of the most beautiful pictures of Inveraray Castle and grounds that I've seen yet. They should hire you to do a full series of photographs for them for advertising purposes. This is the castle and grounds that I use in my novels. Such a beautiful, beautiful place... Thanks for the opportunity to visit it again!
~Donna
Beautiful photos! Been many years since I've visited Scotland, but I do remember it was a very scenic country.
What an idyllic castle and setting! Even the cattle look happy to be there. Stunning photos, Nicole. I'm so glad the weather cooperated!
Thanks so much, everyone, for checking out my pics! I hope you get to see it on your next trip, Teresa! Cameo, I also love the pic of the castle with storm clouds. The sky was so interesting, dramatic and constantly changing. Toni, I wanted to visit the jail but didn't have time. :( Donna, one of my dream jobs would be a professional photographer!
Thanks again!
Nicole, these are fabulous and I loved being their through your eyes. We didn't visit that castle and now I am sorry. Guess it means another trip to Scotland - sigh- guess I can handle that. :)
I'm ready to see more pleeeeze.
Could there be a more beautiful place? Thanks for sharing.
It's now on the list of must sees.
The photos are gorgeous! Great castle and gardens, and I adore the Highland cattle.
Yes, I'll have to agree, this is a must see place. The whole area around the castle and town is gorgeous. Actually all of Argyll is incredibly beautiful. Thanks for checking out my pics!!
Makes me want to get back there sooner rather than later. Gorgeous, Nicole.
Incredibly gorgeous shots! Someday, Hubby and I must get to Scotland. Supposedly, that's where his Burnside ancestors came from, though I think the original spelling was Bairnsyde or some such.
I hope you guys get to go soon! Burnside does sound very Scottish. A burn is a stream in Scots.
So lovely! Thanks so much for sharing your photos, Nicole. Hubby and I are determined to return to Scotland someday. It'll be like going home again.
:-)
OMG, Nicole!!! These pictures are so beautiful!! Could I feature your photo of the one of the castle grounds with the flowers on my blog for FAN PHOTO FEATURE OF THE WEEK this Saturday? It is breath-taking!!!
I am so glad you shared these photos Nicole. Though you are making me feel "homesick."
Very beautiful pictures of the castle and grounds. Being from the Clan Campbell, the photos are of special interest.
Thank you for the lovely pictures and information.