DunBroch is a magical kingdom that lies in the Scottish Highlands. This enchanting place is the home of Princess Merida, a girl who definitely knows her own mind. Kay designed these socks for a young lady much like Merida. Kay wanted the design to reflect the feel of Scotland, and also the strength and determination needed to succeed in life.
The Will O’ the Wisps have yet to lead us back in time to DunBroch so we can frolic through the fields with Merida and the triplets (it’s a work in progress), but at least for now we can enjoy some fascinating behind-the-scenes stories. Change your fate with this awesome Brave trivia: 1. DunBroch Forest 1 is your first venture into one of the eight forests and provides some good experience as to what to expect in the later levels, which get progressively more difficult. Your character begins in the entrance area. DunBroch(Also Known as Puppetland) is the name of the Kingdom in the Disney/PixarfilmBravewhereKing Fergus,Queen Elinor,Princess Merida, andHamish, Hubert and Harrislive in the Highlands ofScotland. It also appears in a puppet theater. The Castle:The home ofKing FergusandQueen Elinorand their daughter Princess Meridaand their sonsHamish, Hubert and Harris. The Castle Green: Where the Highland. DunBroch is a realm in the Enchanted Forest, featured on ABC's Once Upon a Time. The DunBroch, MacGuffin, Macintosh, and Dingwall clans were once enemies locked in constant war. When Roman soldiers and Northern invaders threatened them from the seas, the four clans joined together under the sword of Fergus to defend their lands. The clans succeeded in protecting their lands from the invaders and formed the Kingdom of DunBroch.
The socks feature a twisted panel down the side of each leg surrounded by a cosy texture pattern. The cuff is knitted to a length that can be turned over, perfect for boot wearing on a chilly day.
YARN
One skein of fingering weight yarn, approximately 425 yards
NEEDLES
2.25mm (US size 1)32 inch (80 cm) circular knitting needle for knitting the magic loop method (you can use double pointed needles if that is your preferred method).
Tapestry needle and 4 stitch markers.
SIZE
Small – 8 inch (20cm) foot circumference.
Medium – 9 inch (23cm) foot circumference.
Merida Of Dunbroch
Large – 10/11 inch (25/27 cm) foot circumference.
Dunbroch Clan
DIFFICULTY
Suitable for intermediate knitters
AVAILABILITY
AVAILABLE NOW from Ravelry & LoveCrafts
“If you had the chance to change your fate, would you?” – Merida, Disney-Pixar’s Brave.
So you may have heard a rumor that Jon and I are Disney fans. While I can neither confirm nor deny that rumor (it’s totally true), I will say that Brave is one of my favorite movies. If you’ve seen it, then you know it takes place in Scotland. And if you haven’t seen it yet then I give you permission to stop reading and go watch it right now.
Okay so you watched it? Good.
Alright, back to Scotland. Castle DunBroch, Merida’s family home in the film, is a sprawling castle perched on a seaside cliff. When I planned our trip to Scotland I learned that the animators were inspired by an actual castle perched on an actual seaside cliff. It should come as no surprise that we couldn’t leave Scotland without seeing it in person.
Dunnottar Castle sits south of Aberdeen on the east coast of Scotland and is absolutely drenched in history. (Do you like history? I like history, so I’m going to tell you some history).
The chapel at Dunnottar was built in 1276, and was (probably) visited a few decades later by none other than William Wallace. Legend has it that thousands of English soldiers were bunkered in the chapel when Wallace arrived, locked them in, and set it on fire. About a century later the keep was built by Sir William Keith and was kept in the family until they joined the Jacobite rebellion in 1715 and it was forfeited. Bits of it were dismantled and sold and it fell into ruin.
Dunbroch
Eventually the castle and land were purchased and somewhat restored for visitors and since then it has grown into the attraction it is today.
To visit Dunnottar Castle, I recommend starting in the town of Stonehaven and walking up along the cliff (for anyone who isn’t able or willing to make the trek, there is a road and parking area right next to the castle). If you decide to take the walk, you’ll be treated to gorgeous views of the sea and an absolutely magical sight when the castle finally comes into view.
Dunbroch Brave
Fun story, when we took our walk we thought it was funny that when we looked to the right to the hay fields that looked just like where we grew up in Kansas. But as soon as we looked to the left and saw castle ruins and the bay stretching out we remembered that we weren’t back in the Midwest(cue the ‘we’re not in Kansas anymore’ jokes).
We bought the guidebook, which I think was worth the extra few pounds. It’s got a brief history of the castle, as well as artists renderings of different parts of the castle and grounds that helped bring it to life for me. With that book in hand we spent a couple hours wandering through the ruins (and let’s be real, I pretended I was Merida while Jon pretended he didn’t know me).
Maybe it’s because where we live there isn’t much that’s older than the mid 1800s, but there’s something so spectacular about walking through rooms and under doorways that have been around for centuries.
Dunbroch Map
Dunnottar Castle is one of my favorite memories of our trip to Scotland. Have you been? What did you think?