Cawdor Castle


Cawdor Castle June 16, 2000

From the Clava Cairns we drove west to Nairn to visit Cawdor Castle. The castle is famous for its mention in Shakespeare's Macbeth. However, the linkage between Macbeth and Cawdor is purely fictional for the castle was built in the late 14th century while the real Macbeth became king in 1040. Shakespeare's poetic licence seems to have disturbed the late Lord Cawdor who said, "I wish the Bard had never written his damned play."

	The castle is an impressive fortified home with an unusual feature, the tower was built around a living holly tree. The tree died as soon as it was deprived of light, but it still stands in the bottom of the tower. The castle did not have a guided tour, but the guide book written by the 6th Earl Cawdor was both informative and quite funny.
From the castle we went to Cawdor village and eat at the Cawdor Tavern where the chef was nice enough to make us lunch even though the kitchen had closed.

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