Cawdor Castle

This castle has the reputation of being the most romantic castle in the Highlands. It is surrounded by beautiful gardens and was so interesting we spent nearly 4 hours here. It's about 10 miles east of Inverness and was built around a 15th century tower house and has been added to as the centuries have gone by. That sounds really old and it is!

The most amazing thing about this castle is that it is still inhabited by the Dowager Countess Cawdor. She is the 2nd wife of the 6th Earl Cawdor, who sadly died 20 years ago and left her the property. She is the stepmother of the 7th Earl who lives in London. She lives here 6 months of the year and the other 6 months, it is open to the public to wander through. It is funny to wander through the bedrooms of such an old place that has somewhat modern telephones on the bedside tables and a copy of 'The De Vinci Code' in the book shelf. It has a huge renovated kitchen that was re done in 1971 with modern fittings and a dishwasher and the old kitchen downstairs for contrast. it was fascinating.
The Dowager is 69 years old and practically runs the castle herself. She does all the ordering of food for the café, even waits on the tables! She spends most of her time here, even when she's living 2 miles up the road when the castle is open.
She also has an integral part in planning the gardens. She goes to the Chelsea Flower Show each year and steals ideas for new plans. This ball was built from slate tiles taken from the roof when it was refurbished in 2009

 

 

A further selection from the walled garden.....

Hang on..
What's that up in the sky?
Christ... it's the sun...

A perfect day,

The interesting thing is, when the Dowager dies, nobody knows what will happen to the castle, wether it will close or remain open. One assumes it will pass to the 7th Earl, but will he be interested?

Long live the Dowager....