Quick historical correction* I mentioned it was Alexander who tried to annul his marriage to Euphemia Countess of Ross. However It was Euphemia that actually appealed to the Papal court (In Avignon at the time) asking for an annulment becuase of Alexander's generally despicable and rapacious behaviour! This was granted by the pope and Alexander lost all claim to her lands! N.B. We are aware that exploring historical monuments could cause damage and perhaps we got a little carried away on the upper walls. We certainly wouldn't want to encourage such things as it is dangerous and could damage the medieval structure! My reasoning at time was that our soft neoprene socks would not impart any damage to the structure, however in hindsight it's not worth the risk! That being said, it would be fantastic to see a sanctioned Historic Environment Scotland crew sent to this wonderful island at some point to touch up the traditional lime mortar before the weather and winters get the better of any of stonework.
They hamstrung me .. WITH NANOTECHNOLOGY. . my mouth withva palate expander under the flesh of my gums ..MY INHERITANCE. .BOOKS FOR BOOKS ..WE ARE SAINTS
The desire and achievement in swimming across that miserably cold highland loch on a dismal, cloudy, windy, autumn day like that should not be under estimated. Hardcore stuff.
Oh my gosh this is literally the stuff of dreams. Swimming to a old castle not many have likely explored, finding such cool things as the staircrase, the amazing second story window, and the castle walls under the water. That is just incredible. I imagine the days when the castle was intact, a great fire roaring in the fireplace. Medieval life was tough but it must have been a cozy little spot.
It really is magical to imagine it back in the day with the fire roaring. Perhaps the wolf storming around the hall after too much ale plotting his revenge on the bishop!
Spent so many summers looking at this castle from the loch shore - wondering what it looked like in the structure itself. Incredible. Thanks so much!!!
Have visited this wee castle many years ago, by inflatable boat, found candles and a knife stuck into a tree. Looked like it had recent visitors. Beautiful area. Thanks for the video.
A little late to this video and what a treat to see the inside of the castle. Standing on the shore in front of the island gives the most amazing echos! Our children loved this place when they were young back in the 1990s.
Thanks for the underwater footage! I swam to the castle in August of this year without a wet suit. I expected the water to be colder, but surprisingly, it wasn’t. I was barefoot, so I didn’t climb on anything and I was alone. I was a little creeped out entering the castle, but the view back to the forest was amazing. I did see what I though might have been a fireplace(?) and the room to left when you enter was very dark and muddy! Come to find out, supposedly The Wolf is an ancestor. Weird. My gf took photos and vid of me swimming over. We had quite the trip!
Brave stuff without a suit! It was funny it was warmer than a lower down loch we go to usually to! Maybe the Cairngorms micro climate people speak of. Certainly layers and layers of history on that island. That’s amazing he could be a relation have you seen his final resting place in Dunkeld?
It was a warm summer (2022)...I also went in Loch Maree for its healing powers😉 after climbing Ben Eighe, now that, was a bit colder. Yes! I visited Dunkeld on a previous trip when I was with my Mom. I have photos of her beside his tomb. I also spent time with the ancient tree on the grounds. I can't remember how old it was, but it was protected. So, pretty old!
What a beautiful old ruined castle. I love hearing about the history of Scotland. That was quite a swim you had to get to the ruin. Thank you for a great video 👍🇦🇺🪃 xxx
What a nice little trip! I am terrified of heights so I was really nervous when you were climbing up and down the castle stairs!!!Thanks for the interesting history!!🥰🥰🥰
I live near the valley and I think the history of moray is almost unparalleled in the UK. Between the battles, standing stones, circles, castles, carvings and all the prehistory
I agree It’s quite overwhelming just how much history is there! I honestly think 90 percent of visitors have no idea as well! Could spend a lifetime researching it all.
i second that... perhaps, the knees just start wearing out after all the years of walking so much... but hopefully, we've all got a good number of years going walkabout left in us :)
I'm sorry to say that Alexander Stuart was my 16th Great Grandfather and that he caused so much turmoil to the Cathedral, village and people! Such tragedy!!!! I'm still doing research on my father's family genealogy and it's astounding what I'm discovering! Some good, in that we're related to almost every member of nobility and Royal families of Great Britain and Europe but so many scandals, as well!!!! Incredible!!!! Thank you for sharing this video!
@@bottlesfromthedeep 😆 No, not recently!!! One of my cousins was joking with me and said that's where the anger comes from in our family!!! I wish a Hollywood producer would make a movie from this!!!! It would be incredible! I hope you have a great day ☀️
I visited the Cairngorms NP in 1992 or 1993, and have a photograph of this ruin taken from across the loch. I wondered what the story was, and none of my traveling companions knew. Appreciate your video and the story you shared. Thanks.
The 'Wolf of Badenoch' certainly earned his name. I half expected to hear that he killed that bishop as well! Nice adventure and a cracking yarn for a Sunday evening 😻
Have walked the shores quite a few times and often wandered what it would have been like to live there. Using a row boat every time you left home, perhaps as you mentioned times of conflict, shots fired. Fascinating to watch.
Narrow staircases were designed to prevent Invasion and infiltration. You retreated to your stronghold, and if the Invaders can only come up one abreast, then you can basically seal yourself in and defend wherever you decide
Great video, thanks! There used to be a wonderful express steam locomotive named “Wolf of Badenoch”. I often wondered where the name originated, so thankyou for the history.
For anyone wondering what the music is: the tune is called Saltarello and this arrangement is by Johannes Geworkian Hellman and Clara Guildberg Raun. There's a youtube video of them performing this
Excellent job, very interesting, those narrow staircases sometimes had a shorter than normal step to trip up any intruder in the bad light. This would allow the defenders the upper hand in a fight.
There was definitely one step or more like that! It would have been so hard to storm that stairwell I reckon with a defender above you jabbing or cross-bowing at you!
Great mix of hand held gopro edventure and historical background. There are many castle remains on small islands, I hadn't heard of this one on 'The Loch of the Island'. You got in just before the late arrival of 2022's winter!
What juicy history you uncovered on the Wolf of Badenoch. It sounds like he was responsible for a population explosion in his time😅. That was one sketchy set of stairs you two braved! The views were lovely, though. The intact pieces of the castle were exciting to see still in place above water, as well as, down in the deep.
A juicy yarn indeed! What an interesting character. So crazy to think characters like that would have been walking around the island. Aye the stairs were incredibly little and dodgy especially in socks 😂
Thank you for this. I know this area well and have often stood on the shore looking at the ruins. This was not the only island castle the Wolf of Badenoch had. The other is at Lochindorb, not far away.
Thanks for this video. One of my favourite walks in Scotland is round Loch An Eilein and have often taken photos of the castle from the shore. Also great to hear some of the history behind it as the only knowledge I had of it was that it was the "Wolf's" lair! I do know that if they were ever to repoint the mortar that they would have to use a "proper" mix to do the job. medieval lime mortar would have seeds, small stones and chaff mixed in as they weren't fussy when making it. I know this from asking a worker at Arbroath Abbey who was doing just that job!
Wow certainly a lot to consider if they ever do another repointing job! I read somewhere it was actually done but perhaps over one hundred years ago. It certainly seems to be holding up the bits they repaired anyway. What a great island it is!
Here in the states a place like that would be a national landmark. :) There it seems like you have such amazing historical ruins in every fourth backyard and random metro park. :) i can't imagine. Very jealous. Best wishes from Ohio USA.
It is pretty insane how much history is just around every corner here! I worry it’s not appreciated enough as there is so much. Often little ruins like this fly under the radar and maybe don’t get as much care and attention as big tourist landmarks but are often far more interesting and beautiful!
Site of the last Osprey nest pre reintroduction. Somewhere around the late 1800s. A ‘naturalist’ studying the last wild pair took their eggs for his collection. And then they were gone for 60 or so years.
Looked like alot of fun, and an interesting history lesson to boot. Although I would've been inclined to canoe rather than swim across in those Baltic Scottish mid-December waters... turned blue just watching it!
If i recall right from holidaying at Loch Morlich back in 60s and 70s, pretty sure if you stand on the shoreline directly in line with the door of the castle and shout over the water, your voice echoes.
I ❤this explore! I would really enjoy seeing some more historical sites if you can fit it in with your diving exploits. 🙏 It was funny seeing you both climbing in your wetsuits….tiny bit dangerous though ? 😉 BTW…. Alexander was a very busy boy wasn’t he? 😱
Plenty more loch castles to explore! 😁 I actually forgot to take off my goggles for ages as they hadn’t fogged up which I thought looked quite funny. In hindsight a little sketchy climbing around yes 😂 it’s amazing the absolute chaos he caused in his lifetime. Apparently he died playing the devil at chess in one of his castles and he was found with the nails torn from his leather shoes! ♟
@@bottlesfromthedeep Wow! Old Alexander really was a bit of a character wasn’t he? 🤣👍🏻 If you want to visit more loch castles then I for one would love to see that. Happy hunting and don’t get too cold! 😉
Great to see another castle in the Wolf of Badenoch's history. I'm working on a video at the moment exploring his stronghold; Lochindorb... probably be out sometime in January. I didn't know he was considered to be an illegitimate son, is that because he was born from his father's first wife, before he became King? Oh, and... great channel, diving in the lochs looks like so much fun.
Hi Tom! That sounds very exciting we can’t wait to see your Lochindorb episode! I’m very keen to do a swim out there at some point as well! Is it true his main seat was at Ruthven? Apparently Roberts marriage to the wolfs mum was not sanctioned in a church and therefore was just a common law marriage so she was considered a mistress. Later on I think they got a proper marriage in the eyes of church in 1349!
@@bottlesfromthedeep I'm not sure about Ruthven, it was certainly where he addressed letters and Patents from before Robert became King. And much later, when he was becoming ever more the wolf, he retreated to Lochindorb and launched his attacks on Forres and Elgin from there. Afraid I haven't read a very detailed history, just what I could find online, which is sparse, and probably how I missed that he was considered illegitimate. The video's becoming a bit of a mess really, going off on tangents about anything that took my eye... but it was certainly fun shooting it. I swam out one day but didn't film much. It was around about midsummer, so it was warm enough without a wetsuit... and that meant no leg covering at the castle which was guarded by a legion of nettles and thorns. The fish in the shallows nibbled at our legs, must have been starving, poor things. Then the next day I came, there was a lightning storm between arriving and boating across, gave a nice moody sky for filming. Thanks for the information. I might include some corrections if I do a round up for it... didn't find enough for my usual style of round up; a bit of rusty metal and two bits of old pot.
People were smaller back then, beds, doorways, stairs. We would be giants to them.😊 I live in South Elgin, Illinois. We pronounce it El Gin! We also have towns named Bannockburn,Glencoe,Inverness and West and East Dundee .
A very interesting video from Loch an Eilean. Will you follow this up with a trip to Lochindorb near Grantown? I’ve often wondered what lies beneath there as I fished for wild brown trout.
@@bottlesfromthedeep I don’t think that an ASBO would have worked somehow on Alexander or anger management classes. It’s evident that he had a lot of enemies when you see where he lived in both castles . Try and avoid a very windy day when you go to Lochindorb as it’s quite shallow and the turbulence will spoil your underwater visibility.
Great video. It was always said there was a zig-zagging causeway leading to the castle, but disappeared under the water when the level rose for logging. Did you see any evidence of it?
One of the goals was to try and find the causeway underwater. We snorkelled the circumference of the island but couldn’t see any raised sections that would indicate it. I think it needs a return trip with better daylight. It would be great to find it.
I can see why after I watched your first video you have went from 30 subscribers to almost 2k! Excellent job and great video! Those underwater bits of the wall were really cool to see and have a story all their own, I am sure. Why would they fall into the water, when the rest is still there, and the bits that are underwater are intact? They were pushed over to make the castle unusable?
We can’t believe how many subscribers have come in its fantastic! The underwater walls are such a mystery. Did they tumble in due to cannon in the jacobite wars? Or just simply fall in a storm or something. It’s strange how they are a away from the shore. I wonder if it’s ever been surveyed by underwater archeologists.
@@bottlesfromthedeep Like you mentioned, those walls are built well and still together under the water even, I bet it was some sort of man made damage. I guess there are just too many castles there for people to care enough lol
Oh my you are so lucky to have that history, I would be in my element, I would love to visit Scotland one day, do you need permission to go and explore? And how deep is the water? Cheers from Tasmania Australia
Greetings from Scotland! We are fortunate here to have a ‘Right to Roam’ type of access. This being a listed building on a protected island it’s no metal detecting, fires, removing or fixing the stonework dropping rubbish etc! But people are free to explore such places with all that in mind. Just to be safe one could always check with the estate or land owner before hand. The water was about 3 metres max on that little swim but quite shallow around the island! Nice conditions and amazing landscape 😁
In fairness that’s the only thing of remote interest to have ever happened in Forres! Pluscarden is still a great place to visit and the monks are lovely. Elgin’s cathedral is ruins (because of the wolf) but still very much worth a visit.
@@bottlesfromthedeep Oh it’s lovely. And I was being unfair on Forres. Forres is actually a lovely wee town. Dull. But lovely. In summer the Central Park has a glorious floral display. I live between Elgin and dundonnell on the west coast (Although I’m from Glasgow originally). There’s a lot of wee (and big) lochs out west you’d have a great time diving in- eg Loch Tollie (I’ve only ever waded in it personally but it’d be interesting To see if there’s any world war 2 detritus in there as it was right next to a world war 2 anti aircraft emplacement). If you need a place to stay free of charge whilst you go a wee exploratory tour give me a shout.
No doubt if there's ghosties in that place, the Paranormal activity is outta this world due to the surrounding water;(supposed to crank up the activity). Very beautiful old ruin!
Just found this nugget of information on the topic by W.J. MacLennan, Professor Emeritus, Geriatric Medicine Unit, Edinburgh; “Skeletons also were exhumed from a Medieval cemetery in Dundee.30 Fifteen males had a mean height of 172 cm (ranging from 159 cm to 185 cm), and the average height of the 16 women was 157 cm (ranging from 145 cm to 169 cm). Like many other Late Medieval groups, the figures were comparable with those of Scots from the first half of the twentieth century. It is likely that, as in all other periods, social class, with its corresponding better nutrition, had an effect on height. In England, the first four King Edwards and Henry VIII had heights in excess of 185 cm. The skeleton of Robert the Bruce measured 182 cm, while Mary Queen of Scots was over 180 cm in height. An element of selection may exist in that perhaps only individuals with an exceptional height may have been mentioned.”
I wonder how they dealt with boats. On one hand any settlement would make great use of the waterway for many things that there must have been docks/ boatlaunches somewhere but at the same time not so that they would convenience a incoming raid or invasion....hmmmm.
@@bottlesfromthedeep A fair bit, mostly around fish farms and Scottish Water inlets and outfalls, dams and culverts during marine civil exploration and remedial work. I'm a specialized CCR diver, and as a Commercial Dive teams superintendent, I specialize in teamwork, video, and photography underwater... I need to prove to the client that the contract work is complete as specified... their not exactly going to dive and inspect themselves, so I have to do it for them. Hence my specialty. Underwater archeology is an interest... thought about applying for SAMS a few times...🤔🤔 Attention to detail is my interest and paycheck.
@@aquanaut6386 The issue with Uk underwater archaeology is the disdain still showed to volunteer surveyers, I worked on around ten sites and the surface pro archaeologits still tried to tell us how to survey using methods developed in the calmer Med by the self proclaimed Texas INA. They hated any mention of treasure even jokes.
Quick historical correction* I mentioned it was Alexander who tried to annul his marriage to Euphemia Countess of Ross. However It was Euphemia that actually appealed to the Papal court (In Avignon at the time) asking for an annulment becuase of Alexander's generally despicable and rapacious behaviour! This was granted by the pope and Alexander lost all claim to her lands!
N.B. We are aware that exploring historical monuments could cause damage and perhaps we got a little carried away on the upper walls. We certainly wouldn't want to encourage such things as it is dangerous and could damage the medieval structure! My reasoning at time was that our soft neoprene socks would not impart any damage to the structure, however in hindsight it's not worth the risk! That being said, it would be fantastic to see a sanctioned Historic Environment Scotland crew sent to this wonderful island at some point to touch up the traditional lime mortar before the weather and winters get the better of any of stonework.
Yea we women ARE VERY DISCIPLINED AND FEISTY .. im chaste 11 yrs bcz nighas is not Loyal !! 😈👋🔥📚💨💀💨😹
They hamstrung me .. WITH NANOTECHNOLOGY. . my mouth withva palate expander under the flesh of my gums ..MY INHERITANCE. .BOOKS FOR BOOKS ..WE ARE SAINTS
ROSSIANA ..BOOK OF NUMBERS LEIF ERICSSON 22.. AND HIS FATHERS ..
I have 3 family members WHO SIGNED THE AMERICAN DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE
Till be Treason 😈👋🔥📚💀😯💨👑😹👑
The desire and achievement in swimming across that miserably cold highland loch on a dismal, cloudy, windy, autumn day like that should not be under estimated. Hardcore stuff.
It was definitely a bit bracing!
Hoots Man! That was lovely weather!
Oh my gosh this is literally the stuff of dreams. Swimming to a old castle not many have likely explored, finding such cool things as the staircrase, the amazing second story window, and the castle walls under the water. That is just incredible. I imagine the days when the castle was intact, a great fire roaring in the fireplace. Medieval life was tough but it must have been a cozy little spot.
It really is magical to imagine it back in the day with the fire roaring. Perhaps the wolf storming around the hall after too much ale plotting his revenge on the bishop!
Spent so many summers looking at this castle from the loch shore - wondering what it looked like in the structure itself. Incredible. Thanks so much!!!
As an American w Scottish heritage, I’m green with envy with how easy it is for you to explore these incredible places.
We are very lucky to be able to get so close to our history!
I concur!! Naively want to spend my time digging it all out and restoring the castle.
Loch water is usually freezing
Have visited this wee castle many years ago, by inflatable boat, found candles and a knife stuck into a tree. Looked like it had recent visitors. Beautiful area. Thanks for the video.
A little late to this video and what a treat to see the inside of the castle. Standing on the shore in front of the island gives the most amazing echos! Our children loved this place when they were young back in the 1990s.
Man what an awesome little recce. Envy that cold windy swim.
Been there many a time, lovely walk around the Loch.
Beautiful part of the world.
This is fabulous! Absolutely fascinating. When seeing ancient ruins I too visualize the people who lived there all those centuries ago.
Sorta the closest we can get to time travelling isn’t it! 🧭
With no bathrooms!!!
Thanks for the underwater footage! I swam to the castle in August of this year without a wet suit. I expected the water to be colder, but surprisingly, it wasn’t. I was barefoot, so I didn’t climb on anything and I was alone. I was a little creeped out entering the castle, but the view back to the forest was amazing. I did see what I though might have been a fireplace(?) and the room to left when you enter was very dark and muddy! Come to find out, supposedly The Wolf is an ancestor. Weird. My gf took photos and vid of me swimming over. We had quite the trip!
Brave stuff without a suit! It was funny it was warmer than a lower down loch we go to usually to! Maybe the Cairngorms micro climate people speak of. Certainly layers and layers of history on that island. That’s amazing he could be a relation have you seen his final resting place in Dunkeld?
It was a warm summer (2022)...I also went in Loch Maree for its healing powers😉 after climbing Ben Eighe, now that, was a bit colder. Yes! I visited Dunkeld on a previous trip when I was with my Mom. I have photos of her beside his tomb. I also spent time with the ancient tree on the grounds. I can't remember how old it was, but it was protected. So, pretty old!
what a great pastime, marvellous
What a beautiful old ruined castle. I love hearing about the history of Scotland. That was quite a swim you had to get to the ruin. Thank you for a great video 👍🇦🇺🪃 xxx
Glad you enjoyed!
Fascinating and mysterious place
What a nice little trip! I am terrified of heights so I was really nervous when you were climbing up and down the castle stairs!!!Thanks for the interesting history!!🥰🥰🥰
It was a bit nerve racking in wet suit socks!
@@bottlesfromthedeep A rescue from there would have been tricky and expansive, glad you made it down ok
That was a wild and wooly adventure, and the history to go with it. Very entertaining. Thank you!
It did feel a bit wild and woolly at times! 😂
I live near the valley and I think the history of moray is almost unparalleled in the UK. Between the battles, standing stones, circles, castles, carvings and all the prehistory
I agree It’s quite overwhelming just how much history is there! I honestly think 90 percent of visitors have no idea as well! Could spend a lifetime researching it all.
Love Moray. My favourite place on earth.
Its cried a glen! No ah valley! 😂
Outstanding guys, really enjoyed that video.
That's is living!
Yes! Please give me more historical information! 🙂
Glad you enjoyed it! Love researching this stuff.
Amazing views from the tower ; I find going down these staircases worse than going up. Lovely footage.
Your completely right it was way scarier heading down!
i second that... perhaps, the knees just start wearing out after all the years of walking so much... but hopefully, we've all got a good number of years going walkabout left in us :)
@@walkietalkietraveller2932 sadly, what goes up must come down. Not nice if, like me, you suffer from vertigo!
Wonderful show
Oh my goodness, I love this so much! What I wouldn't give for such an adventure!
Thanks Jenn! It was awesome fun!
Visited this loch in the 70s as a 12 year old, beautiful place as is most of Scotland
I'm sorry to say that Alexander Stuart was my 16th Great Grandfather and that he caused so much turmoil to the Cathedral, village and people! Such tragedy!!!! I'm still doing research on my father's family genealogy and it's astounding what I'm discovering! Some good, in that we're related to almost every member of nobility and Royal families of Great Britain and Europe but so many scandals, as well!!!! Incredible!!!! Thank you for sharing this video!
That’s insane! Hope you haven’t been sacking any cathedrals 😂
@@bottlesfromthedeep 😆 No, not recently!!! One of my cousins was joking with me and said that's where the anger comes from in our family!!! I wish a Hollywood producer would make a movie from this!!!! It would be incredible! I hope you have a great day ☀️
I visited the Cairngorms NP in 1992 or 1993, and have a photograph of this ruin taken from across the loch. I wondered what the story was, and none of my traveling companions knew. Appreciate your video and the story you shared. Thanks.
Thanks! It appears to be relatively in researched which I find crazy considering how majestic it is!
Brilliant video too
Wonderful adventure! Thank you for sharing the story, enjoyed very much!
The narrow staircase means they can only come for you one at a time.
The 'Wolf of Badenoch' certainly earned his name. I half expected to hear that he killed that bishop as well! Nice adventure and a cracking yarn for a Sunday evening 😻
Apparently the monk who delivered the message to the wolf was thrown in a bottle shaped dungeon 😬
just maybe, he did !!
Elite landowners were/are the most vicious people on planet Earth.
Thanks 🙏✌
Fantastic adventure guys 👍🏼👏👏👏
Fantastic expedition
Many thanks!
This was awesome, so cool! Thanks for sharing
Swam to the castle in the the snow, was amazing🏴🏴
That must have been awesome!
very good.
Awesome
Have walked the shores quite a few times and often wandered what it would have been like to live there. Using a row boat every time you left home, perhaps as you mentioned times of conflict, shots fired. Fascinating to watch.
Been there myself, the castle is incredible, seems like something out of a fairytale
It really has to be one of the most magical spots!
Thank's Guy's... Very Interesting.
Our pleasure!
This is so cool
So very cool indeed, I love the explores of ruins, thanks for sharing
Thanks glad you enjoyed the exploration!
This is just beautiful
Hello from the United States! Love your videos!
Glad you like them Dennis!
Narrow staircases were designed to prevent Invasion and infiltration. You retreated to your stronghold, and if the Invaders can only come up one abreast, then you can basically seal yourself in and defend wherever you decide
Yes and planned so you had room for your sword in your right defending hand when facing DOWN
Loved the research. Brilliant
Thanks it was great fun finding out about it!
Well that's something I don't usually get to see, castle under water :) Thanks
You and me both! So magical to see the walls underwater!
Brilliant!
Wow amazing Castle 🥰🥰🥰🥰
Great video, thanks! There used to be a wonderful express steam locomotive named “Wolf of Badenoch”. I often wondered where the name originated, so thankyou for the history.
That’s very cool I’ll look that up now! I hope it was better to its passengers than the wolf was to his tenants!
Cool video popped up on my feed :) great little explore!
Thanks Jason! Glad you enjoyed it 😁
For anyone wondering what the music is: the tune is called Saltarello and this arrangement is by Johannes Geworkian Hellman and Clara Guildberg Raun. There's a youtube video of them performing this
Good point I need to pop this in the title they are so great!
No, just thinking how annoying it is.
Brilliant, love everything, particularly the underwater footage 😍 Serious health and safety sketchy wetsuit staircase moment though guys 😯😂
Thanks Jane 😁 it was one of those movements that’s easy to head into but then hard to get out of up that wall 🤣
Fantastic area,has to be interesting interesting stuff there,well worth a few dive trips I would think
We will definitely be back to do another scout!
Dankeschön für den Beitrag als normal Besucher sieht man diese tolle Burg ja nur vom Ufer aus !
Your very welcome!
Excellent job, very interesting, those narrow staircases sometimes had a shorter than normal step to trip up any intruder in the bad light. This would allow the defenders the upper hand in a fight.
There was definitely one step or more like that! It would have been so hard to storm that stairwell I reckon with a defender above you jabbing or cross-bowing at you!
Great mix of hand held gopro edventure and historical background. There are many castle remains on small islands, I hadn't heard of this one on 'The Loch of the Island'. You got in just before the late arrival of 2022's winter!
Glad you enjoyed it! Definitely lots more wee island castles to explore!
2 suggestions: 1) Flippers 2) Dry the camera lens when you get out of the water. Awesome, amazing and interesting video. Love the history lesson.
Thanks for the tips!
Love to see this place fantastic 👍
It really is! It’s been a dream to walk in the ancient island for so long!
Cool videos, keep them up.
What juicy history you uncovered on the Wolf of Badenoch. It sounds like he was responsible for a population explosion in his time😅.
That was one sketchy set of stairs you two braved! The views were lovely, though.
The intact pieces of the castle were exciting to see still in place above water, as well as, down in the deep.
A juicy yarn indeed! What an interesting character. So crazy to think characters like that would have been walking around the island. Aye the stairs were incredibly little and dodgy especially in socks 😂
Thank you for this. I know this area well and have often stood on the shore looking at the ruins. This was not the only island castle the Wolf of Badenoch had. The other is at Lochindorb, not far away.
I feel another historical expedition to Lochindorb coming on!
good video nicely done
Great entertaining- love this channel cracks me up 😂
We aim please Philomena 😆
Good video. Thanks
Glad you liked it!
Great stuff. Come for the bottles, stay for the absolutely sick AoE2 soundtrack 🤘
Glad you enjoyed the spirited hurdy gurdy salterello!
Thanks for this video. One of my favourite walks in Scotland is round Loch An Eilein and have often taken photos of the castle from the shore. Also great to hear some of the history behind it as the only knowledge I had of it was that it was the "Wolf's" lair! I do know that if they were ever to repoint the mortar that they would have to use a "proper" mix to do the job. medieval lime mortar would have seeds, small stones and chaff mixed in as they weren't fussy when making it. I know this from asking a worker at Arbroath Abbey who was doing just that job!
Wow certainly a lot to consider if they ever do another repointing job! I read somewhere it was actually done but perhaps over one hundred years ago. It certainly seems to be holding up the bits they repaired anyway. What a great island it is!
Here in the states a place like that would be a national landmark. :) There it seems like you have such amazing historical ruins in every fourth backyard and random metro park. :) i can't imagine. Very jealous. Best wishes from Ohio USA.
It is pretty insane how much history is just around every corner here! I worry it’s not appreciated enough as there is so much. Often little ruins like this fly under the radar and maybe don’t get as much care and attention as big tourist landmarks but are often far more interesting and beautiful!
Site of the last Osprey nest pre reintroduction. Somewhere around the late 1800s. A ‘naturalist’ studying the last wild pair took their eggs for his collection. And then they were gone for 60 or so years.
Wow bloody egg thieves! Such a destructive hobby… was the nest up on the walls?
Looked like alot of fun, and an interesting history lesson to boot. Although I would've been inclined to canoe rather than swim across in those Baltic Scottish mid-December waters... turned blue just watching it!
Glad you enjoyed! It was a bit chilly but well worth it 😁
that looks cold af
If i recall right from holidaying at Loch Morlich back in 60s and 70s, pretty sure if you stand on the shoreline directly in line with the door of the castle and shout over the water, your voice echoes.
Arg I wish we had tried that! Although it was so windy I’m not sure we would have heard anything 🌬
I ❤this explore! I would really enjoy seeing some more historical sites if you can fit it in with your diving exploits. 🙏 It was funny seeing you both climbing in your wetsuits….tiny bit dangerous though ? 😉
BTW…. Alexander was a very busy boy wasn’t he? 😱
Plenty more loch castles to explore! 😁 I actually forgot to take off my goggles for ages as they hadn’t fogged up which I thought looked quite funny. In hindsight a little sketchy climbing around yes 😂 it’s amazing the absolute chaos he caused in his lifetime. Apparently he died playing the devil at chess in one of his castles and he was found with the nails torn from his leather shoes! ♟
@@bottlesfromthedeep Wow! Old Alexander really was a bit of a character wasn’t he? 🤣👍🏻 If you want to visit more loch castles then I for one would love to see that. Happy hunting and don’t get too cold! 😉
Great to see another castle in the Wolf of Badenoch's history. I'm working on a video at the moment exploring his stronghold; Lochindorb... probably be out sometime in January. I didn't know he was considered to be an illegitimate son, is that because he was born from his father's first wife, before he became King? Oh, and... great channel, diving in the lochs looks like so much fun.
Hi Tom! That sounds very exciting we can’t wait to see your Lochindorb episode! I’m very keen to do a swim out there at some point as well! Is it true his main seat was at Ruthven? Apparently Roberts marriage to the wolfs mum was not sanctioned in a church and therefore was just a common law marriage so she was considered a mistress. Later on I think they got a proper marriage in the eyes of church in 1349!
@@bottlesfromthedeep I'm not sure about Ruthven, it was certainly where he addressed letters and Patents from before Robert became King. And much later, when he was becoming ever more the wolf, he retreated to Lochindorb and launched his attacks on Forres and Elgin from there. Afraid I haven't read a very detailed history, just what I could find online, which is sparse, and probably how I missed that he was considered illegitimate.
The video's becoming a bit of a mess really, going off on tangents about anything that took my eye... but it was certainly fun shooting it.
I swam out one day but didn't film much. It was around about midsummer, so it was warm enough without a wetsuit... and that meant no leg covering at the castle which was guarded by a legion of nettles and thorns. The fish in the shallows nibbled at our legs, must have been starving, poor things. Then the next day I came, there was a lightning storm between arriving and boating across, gave a nice moody sky for filming.
Thanks for the information. I might include some corrections if I do a round up for it... didn't find enough for my usual style of round up; a bit of rusty metal and two bits of old pot.
That was really interesting.I’ve always wondered what it was like on the island.
We were the same! I had been wanting to go since childhood!
The bishop was expecting a 'gift' to make the obviously correct decision.
brilliant,,,,,, brian d.
❤
Would love to come over and dive with you someday for bottles :)
personally, i enjoy just doing the walking for myself, but kudos to these 'frogmen' :)) nice video.
Really interesting old castle ruins with the history of it
People were smaller back then, beds, doorways, stairs. We would be giants to them.😊 I live in South Elgin, Illinois. We pronounce it El Gin! We also have towns named Bannockburn,Glencoe,Inverness and West and East Dundee .
That’s so interesting. I wonder how the old Scots which areas would be named after which Scottish towns. They must have missed the old country a bit.
A very interesting video from Loch an Eilean. Will you follow this up with a trip to Lochindorb near Grantown?
I’ve often wondered what lies beneath there as I fished for wild brown trout.
Thanks Michael! Would absolutely love to explore Lochindorb next to continue the wolf tales! 🐺
@@bottlesfromthedeep I don’t think that an ASBO would have worked somehow on Alexander or anger management classes.
It’s evident that he had a lot of enemies when you see where he lived in both castles . Try and avoid a very windy day when you go to Lochindorb as it’s quite shallow and the turbulence will spoil your underwater visibility.
Great video. It was always said there was a zig-zagging causeway leading to the castle, but disappeared under the water when the level rose for logging. Did you see any evidence of it?
One of the goals was to try and find the causeway underwater. We snorkelled the circumference of the island but couldn’t see any raised sections that would indicate it. I think it needs a return trip with better daylight. It would be great to find it.
Totally love your adventures!! You talked about the good visibility but forgot to show us around the water a bit. No?
Thanks! Yes sorry the cold had set in and forgot to film some general underwater bits!
This channel proves that there are not enough psychologists in the country
I can see why after I watched your first video you have went from 30 subscribers to almost 2k! Excellent job and great video! Those underwater bits of the wall were really cool to see and have a story all their own, I am sure. Why would they fall into the water, when the rest is still there, and the bits that are underwater are intact? They were pushed over to make the castle unusable?
We can’t believe how many subscribers have come in its fantastic! The underwater walls are such a mystery. Did they tumble in due to cannon in the jacobite wars? Or just simply fall in a storm or something. It’s strange how they are a away from the shore. I wonder if it’s ever been surveyed by underwater archeologists.
@@bottlesfromthedeep Like you mentioned, those walls are built well and still together under the water even, I bet it was some sort of man made damage.
I guess there are just too many castles there for people to care enough lol
Oh my you are so lucky to have that history, I would be in my element, I would love to visit Scotland one day, do you need permission to go and explore? And how deep is the water?
Cheers from Tasmania Australia
Greetings from Scotland! We are fortunate here to have a ‘Right to Roam’ type of access. This being a listed building on a protected island it’s no metal detecting, fires, removing or fixing the stonework dropping rubbish etc! But people are free to explore such places with all that in mind. Just to be safe one could always check with the estate or land owner before hand. The water was about 3 metres max on that little swim but quite shallow around the island! Nice conditions and amazing landscape 😁
It would be worth a close look in the waters around that castle, it would've essentially been their rubbish tip.
I think it would definitely be worth another trip!
In fairness that’s the only thing of remote interest to have ever happened in Forres! Pluscarden is still a great place to visit and the monks are lovely. Elgin’s cathedral is ruins (because of the wolf) but still very much worth a visit.
We are very interested to visit Pluscarden and Elgin now after finding out about the history!
@@bottlesfromthedeep Oh it’s lovely. And I was being unfair on Forres. Forres is actually a lovely wee town. Dull. But lovely. In summer the Central Park has a glorious floral display. I live between Elgin and dundonnell on the west coast (Although I’m from Glasgow originally). There’s a lot of wee (and big) lochs out west you’d have a great time diving in- eg Loch Tollie (I’ve only ever waded in it personally but it’d be interesting To see if there’s any world war 2 detritus in there as it was right next to a world war 2 anti aircraft emplacement).
If you need a place to stay free of charge whilst you go a wee exploratory tour give me a shout.
I wonder if a metal detector would reveal anything of interest, especially in the water. There's got to be something of value, maybe hidden treasure.
Certainly it will need a return journey!
No doubt if there's ghosties in that place, the Paranormal activity is outta this world due to the surrounding water;(supposed to crank up the activity). Very beautiful old ruin!
In the forest on shore there is said to be the ghost of the chief of Clan Shaw!
I wonder how tall people were in Scotland at that time?
Just found this nugget of information on the topic by W.J. MacLennan, Professor Emeritus, Geriatric Medicine Unit, Edinburgh;
“Skeletons also were exhumed from a Medieval cemetery in Dundee.30 Fifteen males had a mean height of 172 cm (ranging from 159 cm to 185 cm), and the average height of the 16 women was 157 cm (ranging from 145 cm to 169 cm). Like many other Late Medieval groups, the figures were comparable with those of Scots from the first half of the twentieth century.
It is likely that, as in all other periods, social class, with its corresponding better nutrition, had an effect on height. In England, the first four King Edwards and Henry VIII had heights in excess of 185 cm. The skeleton of Robert the Bruce measured 182 cm, while Mary Queen of Scots was over 180 cm in height. An element of selection may exist in that perhaps only individuals with an exceptional height may have been mentioned.”
CHRISTMAS DAY
I wonder how they dealt with boats. On one hand any settlement would make great use of the waterway for many things that there must have been docks/ boatlaunches somewhere but at the same time not so that they would convenience a incoming raid or invasion....hmmmm.
Apparently there used to be a zig zag causeway before the loch water height was raised but we couldn’t see it anyway!
You should also be metal-detecting all around there, even under the water.
I know I bet there is loads of artefacts!
If you are excommunicated does that mean they have to ignore you while you sack their relics?
I suppose at this point what has he got to loose!
As a commercial and expert diver... I'd like to know more and explore more this loch and area.
Have you done much loch exploration before?
@@bottlesfromthedeep A fair bit, mostly around fish farms and Scottish Water inlets and outfalls, dams and culverts during marine civil exploration and remedial work.
I'm a specialized CCR diver, and as a Commercial Dive teams superintendent, I specialize in teamwork, video, and photography underwater... I need to prove to the client that the contract work is complete as specified... their not exactly going to dive and inspect themselves, so I have to do it for them. Hence my specialty.
Underwater archeology is an interest... thought about applying for SAMS a few times...🤔🤔
Attention to detail is my interest and paycheck.
@@aquanaut6386 The issue with Uk underwater archaeology is the disdain still showed to volunteer surveyers, I worked on around ten sites and the surface pro archaeologits still tried to tell us how to survey using methods developed in the calmer Med by the self proclaimed Texas INA. They hated any mention of treasure even jokes.
Did you explore the river Dee
Not yet but on the cards! Grew up bit far from it 😄
My knob disappeared swimming over there with no suit in summer bro. What month was this? 😂
🤣 this was November and wasn’t particularly warm on the loins as well.