The world's oldest example of long term investment, work having probably started in the Iron age for the purpose of enriching the inhabitants by separating foreign (and hopefully rich American) tourists from their wealth in the 21st century.
The Castle is rich in history and has extensive and very attractive gardens, together with various souvenir and craft shops, a restaurant and seal boat trips. It certainly exploits its tourist potential to the full and has its own website.
It is probably the second most photographed castle in north west Scotland. My guess is that the most photographed one is Eilean Donan, which has appeared in more films and travel brochures than I can remember.
The early history of the castle is unknown but the name Dunvegan has been suggested to derive from Dun Bhegan, or Began's fort, which suggests the Iron Age.
Home of the chiefs of the clan MacLeod, Dunvegan Castle is the most famous castle in the Hebrides, having been continuously occupied by the same family for over seven centuries. The current clan chief seems preoccupied with financial matters and is trying to sell the Cuillin mountains. I am not sure why the making of money is so close to his heart. Surely they must have paid off the mortgage by now if they took it out in the Iron Age.
Our verdict: The castle and grounds are well worth a visit, but the castle is busy in season and "touristy." You will see seals if you pay to go on the seal trip, but seals are often visible from the road to the Coral Sands (see below), which is a public road. If you want to see both seals and stupendous Wagnerian scenery on Skye, give the castle seal trip a miss and take the Bella Jane boat trip from Elgol in the south of the island
So far as the souvenir shops are concerned, form your own opinion as to whether you are getting value for money. We felt that many of the books and gifts were of excellent taste and quality. Others however perhaps reflect the diversity of the type of tourist which the castle attracts.
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The Coral Sands are to be found by following the road from the castle northwards to the road end at Claigan. It is difficult to go wrong, because it is the only road until it becomes a T junction at the near the road end and the car park for the Coral Sands is to the left.
Undoubtedly, Skye at one time had a tropical climate, but there is debate as to whether the "coral" of the Coral Sands is fossilised coral or not. Scottish National Heritage describes it as the "calcareous alga Lithothamnion, which has a remarkable resemblance to branching coral and which flourishes in sheltered bays around the west coast."
The University of Georgia website describes it as "clam shell fragments and the fragments of red algal mats that are washed up on to the beach."
There is however to be found off Skye a cold water coral Lophelia pertusa, to which the remains bear more than a passing resemblance.
See the website of Marlin, The Marine Life Information Network for Britain and Ireland.
See the Marlin site also for distribution.
There is also a factsheet for Lophelia pertusa, which the "coral" may, or may not be, at the Lophelia.org website
As can be seen from the photos, the beach appears white when it is dry because the "sand" is composed of fragments of crushed deceased coral-like marine life. At one time it was possible to find little coral-like branches on the beach, but the tourists seem to have succeeded in removing nearly all of them.
That having been said, at very low tides (some low tides are lower than others due to the phases of the moon) it is sometimes possible to wade out to the little island of Lampay where the branches are still to be found on its shores. Of course, if you don't keep an eye on the rising tide, you will either drown yourself, or have to swim back, or be marooned on the island.
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Copyright © Gareth Boote 2000