Witches Woods~

On By cindy knokeIn Conservation, MY PHOTOGRAPHS, REVERIES, TRAVEL REVIEWS


In Oban Scotland, The Dunollie Woodland Trail, will lead you into The Witches Woods.

The deeper you go into the forest, the older it becomes.

The trees in the forest were twisted over time into witch-like shapes by the actions of fierce coastal winds.

Some of the oaks are over 400 years old.

The Witches Woods surround Dunollie Castle,

which was once home to the most powerful clan in Western Scotland, the MacDougalls.

The remains of the castle and the old manor house can be toured.

I was first scheduled to visit Oban about 30 years ago, but The Queen was doing a walk about, so our plans were changed. I am happy to have finally visited this charming town and the gorgeous Hebrides.

We are home at The Holler now, but it is cheers and BOO to you from misty Oban’s Witches Woods~

Discover more from Cindy Knoke

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

208 thoughts on “Witches Woods~”

      1. Nice! I saw one of the pictures was of a twisted tree and thought that’s what it was. But my imagination got carried away and was wondering if there might be some tales behind the name 🙂

        Reply

          1. I found this: http://haunted-scotland.co.uk/dunollie-castle/
            Interesting that the article says you can’t tour the ruined castle. You can, on your own. We clamored into the bowels of it, dark, foreboding, and didn’t linger long. There is a little island close off the coast of the castle, where legend has it a woman thought to be unfaithful was tied to a witches chair by her hair when the tide came in. If she was faithful she would drown, if she wasn’t she would free herself. Her paramour attempted to save her and drowned in the process. I don’t know if her story relates to the woods but I wouldn’t be surprised.

            Reply

    1. Plus, my maternal grandmother was a proud MacKay. The first time I went to Scotland many moons ago, I shared this widely with people as I traveled, and learned my lesson, when some irate old man told me to leave his family cemetery as our clans had been enemies for centuries. I was 17 and an American, proudly wearing my MacKay tartan. I just assumed it was a lark. To this day, I don’t mention it when there, laughing……

      Reply

  15. Lovely photos, Cindy. I love the Witches Woods – the name is perfect for an October post and the old trees with their bent and twisted shapes are so interesting.

    Reply

  16. An enchanting post Cindy. Although I am not a huge fan of the touristy aspect of Oban, it plays its role well. There’s a lot to be dredged up and delved into from ancient times 🎃

    Reply
  19. Lynda Lehmann

    Interesting post and fun to read, Cindy. Having just finished watching “Reign” and others, I’ve a new fascination for European history.

    Reply

  21. Great post on Oban, the mystery laden town in Scotland, Cindy! The twisted trees remind of the trees at the wind swept coastal forests at the Pacific Ocean. Best wishes! Peter

    Reply

    1. Yes, me too. The most intense example I have seen of this was in Ushuaia at El Fin del Mundo in Argentina where the wind whips whole forests into twisted tortured wonders.

      Reply

  29. I did enjoy my walk in the woods with you, but most of all I was delighted to see the colorful buildings along the tide-washed shore. Also, in my more active social days, I did sample another version of Oban, not knowing anything other than its price and recommendations.

    Reply

    1. I loved walking in the woods with you too. Isn’t it wonderful we can go there when we choose, and with whomever we wish to walk. I suspect a chunk of my heart rests in Scotland.

      Reply

    1. Danke Ernst. Du würdest Schottland lieben. Es hat einige Ähnlichkeiten mit der Schweiz, aber jeder Ort ist einzigartig auf seine Art. Ich hoffe du besuchst. Danke dir, mein Freund.

      Reply

  34. I just LOG in and saw your BOO-tiful post. WITCHES strange, isn’t it?༼✿ ͡◕ д ◕͡ ༽ LOL! Happy Sunday, my friend. WOOD you join me for a cuppa? ₊·*◟(˶╹̆ꇴ╹̆˵)◜‧*･

    Reply

  35. Oh I wish we’d known about this place last year! We arrived in Oban at the correct time for the ferry to Barra, only to discover it was delayed by 8 hours! (Hurricane Ophelia) That meant killing time, driving around the area and wandering the town (McCaig’s Tower is spectacular, you just need the energy to get up there!), but I didn’t spot Dunollie Castle – it would have been perfect.
    I’m typing this right now, sitting in a hotel on Skye, having just done Arran, Islay and Mull. It’s raining, but hey, this is the Hebrides. Photos to follow soon 😀

    Reply

  47. What a fabulous place to visit (and very appropriate for this time of year!) I’ve never been to Scotland, but it’s definitely on my list of Must-See places!

    Reply

  48. It is fascinating what the wind can do with trees. As we passed through Florida’s panhandle this last week, we saw forests turned to matchsticks by Hurricane Michael and thought we had “seen it all.” But then further along, out of the path of that storm, we saw a pine that went up did a perfect loop and continued to the sky — probably the result of some old storm.

    Reply

Leave a Reply to circadianreflectionsCancel reply