Dunscaith Castle

Dunscaith Castle stands on a rock on the west coast of the Sleat peninsula, near Tokavaig, in the south of the Isle of Skye. Its ruined walls face across Loch Eishort to the dark peaks of the Cuillin, and it is one of the most legendary places in the Hebrides, said to be the home of the warrior woman Scáthach, who trained the hero Cú Chulainn in the arts of war.

The fortress of shadows

Dunscaith, in Irish Dún Scáthaigh, takes its name from Scáthach, ‘the shadowy one’. In the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology she was a great warrior and teacher who lived on Skye, and young heroes came from Ireland to learn from her. The greatest of them, Cú Chulainn, trained with her here before returning to Ireland. Because of this, the castle is sometimes called the Fortress of Shadows.

History

The castle as it survives dates from the fourteenth century, when it is said to have been built as a stronghold for a group of Norse descent led by Gilbert MacAskill, grandson of Ascall mac Ragnaill. The MacAskills held it until some time before 1395, when it was taken by the MacDonalds of Sleat, a branch of Clan Donald. It was later captured by the MacLeods and briefly held again by their allies the MacAskills, before the MacDonalds recaptured it in the fifteenth century. When James IV broke the power of the Lord of the Isles, the castle was taken by the Crown, but the MacDonalds were allowed to keep it. They abandoned it early in the seventeenth century, and it slowly fell into ruin. It is a scheduled monument.

The castle

The castle stands on an offshore rock about twelve metres high, separated from the land by a gap about six metres wide. The gap was once crossed by a walled bridge on arches, leading to a drawbridge, whose pivot holes can still be seen on the far side. Beyond it, a door opened onto a flight of steps, enclosed by walls, leading up to the castle. Parts of the curtain wall, about a metre and a half thick, still stand on the cliff edge, but most of the buildings inside have gone. In the courtyard are a well and the remains of a stair that once led up a tower.

Visiting

Dunscaith is reached by a narrow, winding road from the main road through Sleat, leading west to Tokavaig and Ord. A short walk across rough grass from the road leads to the castle. The two piers of the old bridge still stand, but the gap between them is not crossable without care, and the ruins are fragile, so visitors are best to admire the castle from the shore. The views across Loch Eishort to the Cuillin, especially at sunset, are among the finest on Skye.

Wildlife

The shores of Loch Eishort are good for otters and seals, and white-tailed eagles are often seen over this part of Sleat. The nearby woods at Tokavaig are home to pine martens and many woodland birds.