Tomnaghuail Wood

The bridge spans the Riereach Burn

It is always hard to be definite about these things when named woods merge into one another, but in area, Cawdor Wood - named after the village and/or castle at its Northern end - covers about two and a half grid-squares and parts of it appear in seven. Some of the wood is a protected area, and some of it is not. The trees on the left side of the track are unprotected, whereas those on the right are. Confusingly, the protected part of this 'ancient' mixed wood is also just named Cawdor Wood by the relevant official organisations. It is officially designated as a Special Area of Conservation (SAC), one of 200-odd in Scotland. In the hierarchy of these things, this really means that it is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) with greater protection. The big oak trees further North, along with the rare lichens that grow on some of their trunks, are the main reasons for this. The thing I remember the most about this wood, though, is the unbelievable amount of slugs that were very slowly wriggling their way along the many tracks and paths. The SAC is, very roughly, in the shape of a letter 'q', the land on the right of the track here being part of the tail of the letter, which straddles Riereach Burn. I put 'ancient' within quotation marks above because, although the wood is definitely old, nobody really seems to know exactly how old, tree felling and replanting having taken place throughout the years. There is actually a mention of cows grazing amongst the trees as recently as the 1950s in a report somewhere online.

Cawdor Castle dates from the late 14th century and was built as a private fortress by the Thanes of Cawdor.

Cawdor Castle is built around a 15th-century tower house, with substantial additions in later centuries. It was built as a private fortress by the Thanes of Cawdor. It is a Category A listed building (LB1728 Link Historic Environment Scotland). The castle is known for its literary connection to William Shakespeare's tragedy Macbeth, in which the title character is made "Thane of Cawdor". However, the story is highly fictionalised, and the castle itself, which is never directly referred to in Macbeth, was built many years after the life of the 11th-century King Macbeth. The castle grounds are included in the Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes in Scotland Link , the national listing of significant gardens. The gardens were first laid out early 17th century; altered in the mid-19th century and the Flower Garden replanted in the 19th century and again in the mid-20th century.

Cawdor Castle is built around a 15th-century tower house, with substantial additions in later centuries. It was built as a private fortress by the Thanes of Cawdor. It is a Category A listed building (LB1728 Link Historic Environment Scotland). The castle is known for its literary connection to William Shakespeare's tragedy Macbeth, in which the title character is made "Thane of Cawdor". However, the story is highly fictionalised, and the castle itself, which is never directly referred to in Macbeth, was built many years after the life of the 11th-century King Macbeth. The castle grounds are included in the Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes in Scotland Link , the national listing of significant gardens. The gardens were first laid out early 17th century; altered in the mid-19th century and the Flower Garden replanted in the 19th century and again in the mid-20th century.

Stream flowing behind Cawdor Castle.

Cawdor (Scottish Gaelic: Caladair) is a village in the Highland area of Scotland. The village lies 5 miles south-southwest of Nairn and 12 miles east of Inverness. The village is in the Historic County of Nairnshire. Cawdor (Scottish Gaelic: Caladair) is a village in the Highland area of Scotland. The village lies 5 miles south-southwest of Nairn and 12 miles east of Inverness. The village is in the Historic County of Nairnshire. The name "Cawdor" is the English pronunciation and spelling of the ancient and original name Calder. In the early 19th century, the Lord at the time was residing in England and changed the name of the castle, town and clan so that it would match the name in Shakespeare’s play, Macbeth.

Cawdor Castle is built around a 15th-century tower house, with substantial additions in later centuries. It was built as a private fortress by the Thanes of Cawdor. It is a Category A listed building (LB1728 Link Historic Environment Scotland). The castle is known for its literary connection to William Shakespeare's tragedy Macbeth, in which the title character is made "Thane of Cawdor". However, the story is highly fictionalised, and the castle itself, which is never directly referred to in Macbeth, was built many years after the life of the 11th-century King Macbeth. The castle grounds are included in the Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes in Scotland Link , the national listing of significant gardens. The gardens were first laid out early 17th century; altered in the mid-19th century and the Flower Garden replanted in the 19th century and again in the mid-20th century.

The bronze Minotaur sculpture by Gregory Ryan sits at the centre of the labyrinth in the Walled Garden, more than three metres above the trimmed hedges.