The Photography of Dr. Jeff Harper

About 20 minutes south from my home in Aberdeen lies the charming seaside village of Stonehaven.  Stonehaven has a lot going for it, not the least is that it is the gateway to perhaps one of Scotland's most famous castles.

A couple of kilometers outside of Stonehaven is the amazing Dunnattar Castle, a truly significant place in the history of Scotland.  The approach to the castle requires a walk of about a half kilometer.  Read all about its history HERE.

The magnificence of the castle's location . . .

. . . dawns on you in degrees . . .

. . . until you realize . . .

. . . Dunnottar Castle sits high on a promontory of stone high above the crashing surf of the North Sea.  The first mention of a castle on this location was 681.

The Aberdeenshire coast is a series of steep cliffs and jutting headlands.

I have never seen architecture positioned on the landscape in such a dramatic way as this!

We walked down the well-worn path to the castle entrance, completely taken in by the view.

The Aberdeenshire headlands.

We gawked at the great castle overhead.

The castle walls were made for battle and sieges, as this cannon port attests.

The final 50 meters still had the medieval paving.

After many, many steps, we finally arrived at the flattened top and the interior of Dunnottar Castle.

Although Dunnottar was shelled from sea many times, the structures were quite well preserved.

Dunnottar Castle is actually privately owned!  This house is actually occupied periodically by the current owners.

Location, Location, Location!!!

The ruins of the Dunnottar Castle Chapel.

Dunnottar Castle Chapel interior.  The original chapel was founded in the 5th century.

A view from the chapel.

We were always being surprised by the sudden views of the North Sea.

Although overtaking a castle situate this far up steep cliffs would have been nearly impossible, it was vulnerable to bombardment from ships at sea.

There was more space up on top than I thought.  A whole village existed up here in the past.

We snooped around inside the buildings.

We found the medieval kitchen and its giant hearth.

Every once in a while we would see a bright passage leading up and out of the old stone structures.

The views, from the inside out, framed in stone, were beautiful.

Like a framed picture of Time itself.

Stairs to nowhere.

This row of rooms with fireplaces was reserved for knights and visiting royalty.

It must have been a very busy place to be in the year 1100.

The castle grounds were divided by a wall.  On one side were the living quarters of the royal inhabitants and the knights, and on the other were the work shops, horse stables, and military battlements.

Stores, stables, and the remains of the tower.

The ruins of the old blacksmith shop.  Everything had to be made on-site; from horse shoes to silverware to pots and pans.

The stables to the left and the castle tower to the right, where the soldiers would have been billeted.

Castle tower interior. 

The view from a castle tower port across the roof of the gate house.

A wonderful view back to the countryside of Aberdeenshire.

Now that my dilapidated door and window fetish was fully satisfied, we left the castle to walk back down the steep path to another view spot.

Even if there was no castle near nearby, it would have been a beautiful place to spend a perfect day.

The new viewpoint was windswept and wild.

The view of Dunnottar Castle that adorns a thousand Scotland calendars.

Castle, cliff, and sea.

Before I ever set foot in Scotland I learned about The Bay in Stonehaven.  Yes, it was awarded the Best Fish & Chips in Great Britain in 2013.  The best in a country that prides itself on fish and chips.  So, of course, we had to go and see what all the fuss was about.

What all the fuss was all about.

We ordered two box sets, with a side of Diet Coke to neutralize any fat we might accidently ingest.  "The UKs No. 1 Fish & Chip Shop".

It was amazingly good fish and chips.  Next time you are in Stonehaven you should stop in and have a box full!