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.”
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.
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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