Doune Castle!
How I loved exploring this ancient beauty!
It's been used in so many films that it's almost like I knew it already!
Every room seemed to bring a smile of remembrance.
Parts of it were under scaffolding, which really dampers the photography end of things, nevertheless, you can still picture every part of it without the construction, because you've seen it in such pictures as Monty Python's Holy Grail, Outlander, or Game of Thrones.
Those are the ones I know of, anyway!
There was lots of CGI going on in Outlander to age the castle for the 1940s scenes. And there was undoubtedly CGI going on in Game of Thrones to add circular towers and other architectural details.
But you can still see the additions with your mind's eye by looking at the bare bones of the structure.
As you approach the front gate, it is a formidable fortress!
Then up through the portal and into the courtyard!
This is looking at people as they come into the courtyard.
Going up the staircase to the part of the castle over the entry gate.
You enter a great hall with this enormous double fireplace.
I found this cozy corner where I'd probably hide all night at any gathering I was allowed to attend!
Give me a few comfy pillows and a soft throw, good book, and just
let me know when it's time to leave!
More spiral staircases in the corner towers. These are equally precarious to maneuver as they are beautiful to admire and architecturally stunning.
These stairs led up to a great room with a very large fireplace and windows that looked down into the courtyard, or out over the countryside surrounding the castle.
And the countryside is some of the prettiest in Scotland!
I imagine some eavesdropping on conversations below happened at this very window.
This is where the prince in Holy Grail tried to tell his father he just wanted to ..... sing!!!
Look how thick these walls are!
Out on this castle wall is where the french soldier taunted King Arthur!
Also on this level they had these nooks and spaces in the walls so the lady could have church services. It is where the priest would administer the sacrament.
Indeed, there were several curious spout-like openings for drainage of some sort.
I didn't want to ask too much. I used my imagination.
This great hall was stunning - even today!
I can just see the parties and festivities that happened here!
You can see in the first picture the balcony up high where the musicians would play.
That iron stand in the middle is where they would build a large fire.
There would be rows and rows of long tables filled with all sorts of food.
And, of course, my favorite part - the kitchen!
This fireplace defies anything we know today!
I'm short, but this is HUGE!!!
This windowsill in the kitchen still bears the marks of cooks sharpening their knives over the centuries! Isn't that cool!? It was on both sides of the window! And I also think it was awesome that the kitchen even had windows! So many commercial ones today don't!
The room was large enough to set up several areas dedicated to different types of food prep.
Look at this corner that housed two ovens.
This space here is between the dining hall and the kitchen. I don't know why I didn't get a picture of the two enormous pass-throughs where the servers could get the plates to be handed out to the diners - but you can see them in the background in the Holy Grail movie as they used this part for the Castle Anthraxx scene.
I imagine the shouting in this part of the castle, not only during the entertaining, but in the day to day life. You know people would go to these different openings in the various levels and shout down for the things they needed or that someone was wanted.
It can't have been much different than we do today in our homes - shouting from the top of the stairs to get someone's attention below, right?
The audio guides were perfect. You could hear the history of the castle narrated by Terry Jones of Monty Python's Holy Grail and you could hear parts of Holy Grail as well - such as the knights singing about jam and prams and spam in the dining hall. You could also listen to Sam Heughan, who plays Jamie Fraser in Outlander, tell you about the various scenes where Outlander was filmed.
So really, you got about three audio guides for one!
This castle has it all!
It is a popular one as well so be prepared for crowds.
