Castles and Ruins

This collection spans centuries of Scottish history, from the 13th-century hall-house of Rait Castle to the 18th-century artillery fortifications of Fort George. Highlights include the French-style chateau architecture of Dunrobin Castle, the Shakespearean associations of Cawdor, and the dramatic cliffside ruins of Keiss and Dunscaith. Many sites, such as Ardvreck and Loch an Eilein, occupy strategic positions on loch promontories and islands, reflecting the turbulent clan histories of the Highlands and the Isle of Skye.

Castles and Ruins — Map

Charalampos Koniaris / CC BY-SA 3.0

A

Dunrobin Castle

Dunrobin Castle is a stately home in Sutherland, in the Highland area of Scotland, as well as the family seat of the Earl of Sutherland,…

Bellaqueen / CC BY-SA 3.0

B

Duntulm Castle

Duntulm Castle stands ruined on the north coast of Trotternish, on the Isle of Skye in Scotland, near the hamlet of Duntulm.

Mike Peel / CC BY-SA 4.0

C

Armadale Castle

Armadale Castle is a ruined country house in Armadale, Skye, former home of the MacDonalds.

Astrid Horn / CC BY-SA 2.0

D

Invergarry Castle

Invergarry Castle in the Scottish Highlands was the seat of the Chiefs of the Clan MacDonell of Glengarry, a powerful branch of the Clan…

Mike Searle / CC BY-SA 2.0

E

Cawdor Castle

Cawdor Castle is a castle in the parish of Cawdor in Nairnshire, Scotland.

Jschroeder85 / CC BY-SA 3.0

F

Ardvreck Castle

Ardvreck Castle is a castle, now ruinous, standing on a rocky promontory in Loch Assynt, Sutherland, Scotland, UK.

Nilfanion / CC BY-SA 3.0

G

Fort George

Fort George is a large 18th-century fortress near Ardersier, to the north-east of Inverness in the Highland council area of Scotland.

Florian Fuchs / CC BY 3.0

H

Castle Varrich

14th-century tower house ruins situated on a high promontory overlooking the Kyle of Tongue. Historically it served as the seat of the Clan Mackay.

Wojsyl / CC-BY-SA-3.0

I

Strome Castle

Strome Castle is a ruined castle on the shore of Loch Carron in Stromemore, 3.5 miles south-west of the village of Lochcarron, on the…

Jean Aldridge / CC BY-SA 2.5

J

Rait Castle

Rait Castle is a ruined hall-house castle dating from the thirteenth century, situated just south of Nairn near Inverness, Scotland.

Wojsyl / CC-BY-SA-3.0

K

Skelbo Castle

Skelbo Castle is a ruined 14th century keep, located near Dornoch, Sutherland, Scotland.

L

Loch an Eilein castle

13th-century island fortification located within the Cairngorms National Park. The ruins served as a strategic refuge and were significantly damaged during the Jacobite rising of 1690.

M

Dunscaith Castle

Dunscaith Castle also known as Dun Scaich, Dun Sgathaich Castle and Tokavaig, is a ruined castle on the coast of the Isle of Skye, in the…

N

Ormonde Castle

Earthworks and foundations of a 12th-century royal fortress built by William the Lion. The site was historically a stronghold of the Earls of Ross until its destruction in the 1650s.

Trolez Stephanie / CC-BY-SA

O

Thurso Castle

Thurso Castle is a ruined 19th-century castle, located in Thurso, Caithness, in the Scottish Highlands.

Flaxton / CC-BY-SA-3.0

P

Castle of Old Wick

A 12th-century Norse-style square tower situated on a narrow coastal promontory. One of the oldest castles in Scotland, it is known locally as "The Old Man of Wick."

Khristine Vullo / CC-BY-SA

Q

Bucholly Castle

Medieval ruins located on a precipitous headland in Caithness. Originally a 12th-century Norse stronghold, the current structure features 15th-century masonry and a defensive landward ditch.

Bill Henderson / CC BY-SA 2.0

R

Keiss Castle

Keiss Castle is a partially ruined castle in Scotland, which stands on sheer cliffs overlooking Sinclair's Bay less than one mile north of…

S

Freswick Castle

17th-century tower house built on the site of earlier medieval and Viking settlements. The structure is located near the shore of Freswick Bay.

Mihael Grmek / CC BY-SA 3.0

T

Brodie Castle

Brodie Castle is a well-preserved Z plan castle located about 3+1⁄2 miles west of Forres, in Moray, Scotland.