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Motorcyclist hunts for treasure he buried on Skye 26 years ago

Juan Antonio Espeso González and his wife Angela returned to the Highlands after nearly three decades on the hunt for a special treasure.

Juan Antonio Espeso González and his wife Angela in front of large hills on Skye where they are looking for buried treasure.
Juan Antonio Espeso González and his wife Angela originally travelled to Scotland back in 1997 and now are back due to their love of the country. Image: Juan Antonio Espeso González

A Spaniard has returned to the Isle of Skye to find treasure he buried 26 years ago – and says he has fallen in love with Scotland even more.

Juan Antonio Espeso González, 53, was last in the Highlands in 1997.

During his 1997 trip, he was taken aback by the stunning beauty of the region and the welcoming faces of the locals.

Determined to have a “reason” to return some day, he buried some treasure at Dunvegan Castle on Skye.

He said: “When I was young in Spain, my friends and I were fascinated with two movies, Dead Poets Society and Highlander, so we decided to found a group.

“We called it McCleods’ Clan, and we collected every single thing about Scotland and celebrated our meetings with pipes and drums music.

“We dreamed of going to Scotland someday. We wore our kilts, studied and talked for hours and hours about Scottish battles and legends, songs, movies.

“That first day of my adventure will always have a special place in my memory.”

Mr González buried treasure close to Dunvegan Castle on Skye

During that 1997 trip he was accompanied by his now wife and a friend and his fiancee, stopping off in places including Skye, Glencoe and Loch Ness.

They decided to bury some treasure near Dunvegan Castle and promised they would return.

Mr Gonzalez told us: “At that point, we made a promise to ourselves: to come back someday, and as proof of being done, recover something we had left there in that trip.

“We bought an original bottle in a gift shop and wrote a message. Then we buried it in a secret place only known by us, drew a map, took pictures of the place and left it there.”

Two images showing the spot near Dunvegan Castle on Skye where Juan Antonio Espeso González buried treasure in 1997 and what ths ite looks like now in 2023.
Picture showing where Mr González hid the “treasure” back in 1997 versus the site when they returned in 2023. Image: Juan Antonio Espeso González.

The keen biker and his wife Angela returned to Skye this week to find their treasure.

The couple, who have been married for 23 years and have two sons aged 22 and 18, explored Scotland on a BMW GS 1250 Adventure.

They included Inverness, Loch Ness, Eileen Donan Castle, Dunvegan, Portree, the Old Man of Storr, Kilt Rock, Glenfinnan and Glencoe on their tour.

Juan Antonio Espeso González and his wife Angela outside Eileen Donan Castle on a road trip to Skye to find buried treasure.
Juan Antonio Espeso González and his wife Angela at Eileen Donan Castle. Image: Juan Antonio Espeso González.

During their visit to Dunvegan, they searched the area where Mr González hid the buried treasure but were unable to find it.

Although disappointed, Mr Gonzalez hopes to return to look again in the future.

“I’m in love with my wife, my motorbike and your beautiful country since I was a child,” he said.

“There was too much grass to recognise the right stone. It had been too many years.

“The treasure will be there waiting for me on another travel or forever. But I have found a better treasure, Scotland itself.”

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