Dunnottar Castle
“Done-uh-tar” or “Duh-knot-er”—it’s hard to say. What isn’t a challenge? Spending a sunny afternoon in Scotland taking in the breathtaking views of the seaside castle ruins just outside of Aberdeen, in Stonehaven.
Visiting Dunnottar Castle came as a field trip at the end of our second full day in Scotland. Over our first two days, we learned much about Scottish history generally and Scottish legal history in particular. Dr. Andrew Simpson, Senior Lecturer at Aberdeen University School of Law, graciously acted not only as one of our main hosts during our entire visit but also as our personal history professor and tour guide at Dunnottar Castle.
Perhaps the feature of Scots Law that most intrigued the entire group was its relationship to English law and how that relationship developed over history, often understandably but sometimes in a head-scratching sort of way. Dr. Simpson’s description of the development of Scots’ law certainly gave insight into the general relationship between Scotland and England, the residual effects of which are still noticeable today.
Dunnottar Castle itself—along with Dr. Simpson’s wealth of knowledge to share on the site—also reminded us of the various eras of Scottish history, and the laws and societal changes that followed. Dunnottar hosted (or was invaded by, whichever!) everyone from Vikings to William Wallace to Mary Queen of Scots. The colorful and sometimes tragic stories of these times really brought the castle ruins to imaginative-life.
As (mostly) first time visitors to the castle, we were definitely glad the invasion days were a trend of the past. The sun literally and metaphorically shone on our visit, which of course we polished off with ice cream from the modern-day food truck at the castle entrance.
