My personal blog as a 'grown-up' Goth and Romantic living in the Highlands of Scotland. I write about the places I go, the things I see and my thoughts on life as a Goth and the subculture, and things in the broader realm of the Gothic and darkly Romantic. Sometimes I write about music I like and sometimes I review things. This blog often includes architectural photography, graveyards and other images from the darker side of life.

Goth is not just about imitating each other, it is a creative movement and subculture that grew out of post-punk and is based on seeing beauty in the dark places of the world, the expression of that in Goth rock. It looks back to the various ways throughout history in which people have confronted and explored the macabre, the dark and the taboo, and as such I'm going to post about more than the just the standards of the subculture (Siouxsie, Sisters of Mercy, Bauhaus, et al) and look at things by people who might not consider themselves anything to do with the subculture, but have eyes for the dark places. The Gothic should not be limited by what is already within it; inspiration comes from all places, the key is to look with open eyes, listen carefully and think with an open mind..

Tuesday, 14 May 2013

Cawdor Castle

To Cawdor Castle, of Shakespearian fame as Macbeth is Thane of Cawdor! The setting of all that death, madness and scheming!

Looking up the drive way to the front of Cawdor
Well, only in literary fiction as the real Cawdor castle was built about 400 years after the real Macbeth was born... Of course, Shakespeare is allowed to apply as much poetic license as he likes, and I liked imagining the cast of characters wandering about the place as I visited. 

I was feeling particularly stressed, frazzled by a long day with more human interaction (and more stressful human interaction) than I could really handle, and Raven, realising that I was close to bursting into tears and having a mini-meltdown, decided that it would be a good idea to take me out somewhere quiet. So we went for a drive out to the countryside around Nairn, which took us past Cawdor. Turning up the drive to Cawdor Castle was complete impulse. 

The Castle from behind.
We didn't actually go to the castle to visit the building (out of character, I am aware, but it was reasonably busy with tourists) but to take in some fresh air in the beautiful forest behind the castle.  It has a number of winding paths, a small river/large stream, ponds, pools, and a few bridges (built by the Army) and a lot of old and beautiful trees. I felt hugely better after both getting far away from the madding crowd and in having a nice stroll with my other half. 

A skyline to inspire fairytale and fantasy
It was not intended in any way as a photography outing, but I did take a few photos of the castle on my phone, which I am displaying here. The building was started in the 15thC, and built in several stages right up to the 19thC, and is very beautiful; quite the apt setting for a play full of such Medieval intrigue and magic! At some point I will return with a proper camera (the camera on my phone isn't terrible, but would be a lot better if it didn't constantly get mucky from being in my handbag!) and take some more artistic photographs of the castle. 
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4 comments:

  1. Lydian7 July 2013 at 08:43

    It must be nice to just be able to pop over to a castle for an outing. Lovely pics :)

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    1. The HouseCat7 July 2013 at 09:31

      Some areas of Scotland have a higher density of castles than others, and I happen to live quite close a few castles - Urquhart, Brodie, Cawdor, Kilvarock, Inverness, Darnaway, etc. so visiting castles locally isn't too much of a trek and I have a good selection.

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  2. Anonymous7 July 2013 at 11:22

    Lovely shots as always you have a great eye for this kind of thing. Pity I can't come next time will just have to wait for your next instalment.

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    Replies
    1. The HouseCat7 July 2013 at 14:05

      My photos this time are pretty dire, by comparison to my usual architectural photos. I'm really looking forwards to going back and getting some good ones.

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