As much as I love the city of Edinburgh I was anxious to get on the road and head to the Ardtornish Estate in Morvern. This area is significant to the Lords of the Isles, especially Ardtornish Castle and castle Tioram in Acharacle. The weather has been a factor since I arrived in Scotland on the 29th – high winds, rain and possibility of ice. I lucked out in that today was sunny and the roads were clear heading up into the Highlands. My path led me through Glencoe and the snow on the mountains was breathtaking. For some reason the Corran ferry was not running which caused me to detour to get over to Morvern making the journey about an hour longer than it should have been. But once again I found myself on roads I did not know so the exploration made up for the inconvenience. I still made it to the Ardtornish Estate early and since my cottage was ready I settled in. Tomorrow will be time to start exploring and checking out the castle to see how I might want to photograph it. I am here for 2 weeks so ample time to get a good photo of this iconic castle. Hoping to see some wildlife as well as my cottage is situated on a 30,000 acre estate!
Ardtornish Castle was a key stronghold and residence for the Lords of the Isles, the chiefs of Clan Donald, in the 14th and 15th centuries. The castle’s importance to the Lords of the Isles is demonstrated by the many events that took place there. The first Lord of the Isles, John of Islay, died at Ardtornish in the 1380s. His funeral procession was a grand spectacle, with his remains transported from the castle to Iona. In 1462, John MacDonald, Lord of the Isles, signed the Treaty of Westminster-Ardtornish at Ardtornish Castle. The treaty was an alliance with King Edward IV of England, but it led to the downfall of the Lords of the Isles.
