An error in my memory or the Lonely Planet guidebook got us to Dunrobin Castle under false pretenses. Madonna and Guy Ritchie had their wedding reception at Skibo Castle, not here. Still, the amazing falconry demonstration made the trip more than worthwhile. That's a peregrine falcon which can fly downward at 200 miles per hour. Did you know that Cornell University pretty much saved these birds from extinction with a breeding program? DDT nearly wiped them out in the 1960s.
Listen for the bells to hear the falcon fly past.
The other bird in the demonstration was a Harris hawk from Arizona with a huge wingspan. We learned that prior to the invention of guns, falcons and other birds of prey pretty much put undomesticated fowl on banquet tables.
The demonstration took place in the impeccably manicured castle gardens.
Dunrobin looks best from this angle. As a former Madonna fan, I'm relieved she's not associated with the place as it has a troubled history. The first Duke & Duchess of Sutherland evicted tenant farmers or crofters from the estate in an act known as the "Highland clearances." Many of these farmers emigrated to the US to make way for fields of grazing sheep.
To be sure, we saw very few of the 189 rooms, many still occupied by the family. Imagine the Avon lady having to use this door knocker to announce herself.
Still, there are many lovely decorative touches inside.
Have you ever seen an illustrated lampshade? Something looks amiss in this scene.
This Duke of Sutherland should have been called the Duke of Narcissus. His portrait hangs in many of the public rooms.
This fellow looks as if he may have been a well-dressed victim of the Highland clearances.
The game room.
Now that's a four-poster bed.
The chambermaids had a Sisyphean task but probably were more efficient at removing unsightly waste than some of the Scottish toilets I flushed.
Queen Victoria in flattering paint and less forgiving marble. She stayed at the castle for five days in September 1872, probably on her way to or from Balmoral, coming up soon in our own itinerary.
The "Orkney" portrait of Mary Queen of Scots at the tender age of 14. She didn't visit Dunrobin. Would you believe there's a website that lists all the castles she DID visit? Accommodating her must have been tricky business. After all, she lost her head in 1587.
The playroom. The red-laced shoes under the dollhouse kill me.
The children's bedroom.
With furniture decor hand-painted in Sicily. Who knew children of the nobility shared rooms?
In case of fire . . .
This floral arrangement can't conceal the fact the child looks slightly inbred.
The Duke's cozy study.
Check out the happy scene on this antimacassar. She's probably playing music to clear by.
Children, avert your gaze from the table legs!
A William Shakespeare look-alike.
Every duke needs a helmet collection.
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