TITLE: Dunnottar Castle at Sunrise

Dunnottar Castle is a ruined medieval fortress located upon a rocky headland on the north-eastern coast of Scotland, about 2 miles south of Stonehaven. The surviving buildings are largely of the 15th and 16th centuries, but the site is believed to have been fortified in the Early Middle Ages (mid-600’s). Dunnottar has played a prominent role in the history of Scotland through to the 18th-century Jacobite risings because of its strategic location and defensive strength.
Dunnottar is best known as the place where the Honours of Scotland, the Scottish crown jewels, were hidden from Oliver Cromwell's invading army in the 17th century. The property of the Keiths from the 14th century, and the seat of the Earl Marischal, Dunnottar declined after the last Earl forfeited his titles by taking part in the Jacobite rebellion of 1715. Long before these events, Dunnottar was the site of a battle in 900 where King Donald II of Scotland was killed by the invading Vikings. The castle was restored in the 20th century and is now open to the public.
The ruins of the castle are spread over 3+1⁄2 acres, surrounded by steep cliffs that drop to the North Sea, 160 feet below. A narrow strip of land joins the headland to the mainland, along which a steep path leads up to the gatehouse.

I captured this image at sunrise on a beautiful morning in October, 2024 and also have images of it at sunset. It’s a breathtakingly rugged scene and landscape steeped in history.

AUTHOR: Jim Guerard (United States)

Jim Guerard moved to Savannah in 2014 when he retired from Adobe Systems, Inc. as Vice President and General Manager of Adobe’s Creative Cloud. Jim is a self-taught photographer who began exploring photography in 2007 as entertainment on weekends during long business trips. Jim ventured deeper into photography after retiring and continues to hone his craft on the local area's scenic vistas and through an active travel schedule. When venturing away from Savannah, Jim’s priority is collecting images from around the world, intended to stir awareness and offer glimpses of elements in nature and distant cultures that are rapidly changing, and in some cases at risk of disappearing entirely.