Inverness-Thurso Dunrobin castle

Dunrobin castle is not so much a castle as home to the Duke of Sutherland.  True castles were built first as fortifications, second as living quarters.  This is a palace with stone walls.  It has too many weak points to seriously oppose an attacking army.

This is a part of the gardens behind the castle.  This is the norm for high class gardening behind castles and palaces.

The falconry presentation was awesome.  He used both falcons and owls.  Rabbits run at 30 - 35 miles per hour.  Falcons dive at 40 miles per hour.  If the rabbit is too far from cover, too bad. 

One hoot staring at another.

This is a statue remembering the Scottish peasents who were forced off the land when their leases ended.  Called "the clearences", the land lords set fire to their roofs so they couldn't return and they wouldn't have to pay tax for a dwellable structure.  Over 15,000 lost their homes and livelihoods starting in the 1820's.  The landlords wnated to use the land to raise sheep, which brought them more income.