May 6th: Dunnotar Castle

Stonehaven is best known for a historical landmark that sits a mile or two south of town along the coastline: Dunnotar Castle.

The pictures give you some sense of its beauty, but it really is something that gets better in person. The castle sits on a promontory of land and is surrounded on all sides by water. The only land access to the promontory requires a steep hike down, then an equally steep hike back up to the promontory itself. 

The history of Dunnotar Castle can be found in detail here, but buildings on the site date to the 13th century and it was, more or less, occupied until the 18th century. There's a lot of senseless killing, especially over religion, in Dunnotar's history, which is essentially the history of Scotland in miniature: people brutalizing each other for silly reasons.

This is not silly, though. It's breathtaking.