After driving through the Cairngorm mountains across the moors to the farmlands of Cawdor Castle where we had lunch in the tea room of the castle. So yummy! Lady Cawdor, herself, led our group on a tour of the castle. The castle is her home which opens up a portion of it each summer for public viewing. The main castle was built in 1380 by William Thane of Cawdor, Legend says that a dream prompted him to allow a mule loaded with gold to roam freely and when it stopped to lie down and rest under a hawthorn tree is the place where the castle was built. In 1638 the north wing was added , and in 1684, Sir Hugh Campbell the 15th Thane transformed the interior to a warm and comfortable home. Moe improvements were made in the mid 17th and 19th centuries. The castle was the setting of Shakespeare's "Macbeth" . The surrounding grounds and gardens with a delightful, "secret" walled knot garden.