19 Forts to Explore in Scotland

Ardvreck Castle is a ruined castle dating from the 16th century which stands on a rocky promontory jutting out into lake Assynt in Sutherland, Scotland. The castle was built in about 1590, Ardvreck is famous as the place where Montrose- viceroy and captain general of Scotland was handed over in 1650 to the Covenanter forces by MacLeod, Laird of Assynt.

Bar Hill Fort was a Roman fort on the Antonine Wall in Scotland. It was built around the year 142 A.D. Bar Hill Fort was one of 16 known forts along the Antonine Wall, which was built across Scotland's central belt from AD 140.

Brodie Castle is a well-preserved Z plan castle. Architecturally, the castle has a central keep with two 5-story towers on opposing corners. The interior of the castle is also well preserved, containing fine antique furniture, oriental artifacts, and painted ceilings, largely dating from the 17th–19th centuries.

The Castle of Mey was built between 1566 and 1572, possibly on the site of an earlier fortification, by George Sinclair, 4th Earl of Caithness. The castle was used as an officers' rest home during the Second World War.

Castle Leod is the seat of the Clan Mackenzie. The castle grounds are listed in the national listing of significant gardens. The castle is believed to have been built on the site of a very ancient Pictish fort from before the 12th century. Castle Leod is widely considered to be the inspiration behind Castle Leoch, the seat and home of the laird of Clan Mackenzie, in Diana Gabaldon's Outlander historical fiction series.

Castle Sinclair Girnigoe is located about 3 miles north of Wick on the east coast of Caithness, Scotland. It is considered to be one of the earliest seats of Clan Sinclair. It comprises the ruins of two castles: the 15th-century Castle Girnigoe; and the early 17th-century Castle Sinclair. The ruins sits upon a rocky promontory jutting out into Sinclair Bay.

This is the remnant of a stronghold of the Iron Age, which has commands views over the Forth and Lothian. When it was occupied the site consisted of three earthwork ramparts, ditches and timber palisades. The fort contained a Souterrain for the storage of agricultural produce. An iconic attraction in this area and it attracts a lot of tourists.

Chesters Hill Fort was probably built in the first millennium BC, and was occupied into the Roman occupation of Britain in the early centuries of the first millennium AD. It remains an impressive and imposing monument despite the intervening 2,000 years. This fortified village with its system of ramparts and ditches around a settlement of about twenty roundhouses is in the care of Historic Environment Scotland, who describe it as "one of the best-preserved examples in Scotland of an Iron age for

Crookston Castle is the only surviving medieval castle in Glasgow. This ruined castle was built around 1400 A.D, by the Stewarts of Darnley and it is located on a hill overlooking the small river "Lavern Water". The castle is surrounded by a defensice ring-ditch.

This is the iconic island fortress of the Clan Maclean. Situated on the sea cliffs of the Isle of Mull. Brought back from ruin in 1911, the Castle treasures 800 years of history of one of Scotland’s oldest Clans. From 2015, Duart Castle is opening it’s ancient doors and offering a small number of exclusive weddings events.

Dunadd is a hillfort in Argyll and Bute, Scotland, dating from the Iron Age and early medieval period and is believed to be the capital of the ancient kingdom of Dál Riata. Dal Riata was a kingdom, that appeared in Argyll in the early centuries AD, after the Romans had abandoned Scotland.

Duncarnock Fort (known locally as The Craigie) is a 204 m high craggy hill on the banks of Glanderston Dam. There was an iron age fort on the summit, and at present, visitors could enjoy panoramic views over greater Glasgow from the summit. Since 1981 Duncarnock Fort has been classified as a Scheduled Monument in the Scottish Monument Lists.

Edinburgh Castle is a historic fortress dominating the skyline of Edinburgh. It is located on top of Castle Rock, a volcanic lava rock formed 350 million years ago. Edinburgh Castle is Scotland's most and the United Kingdom's second most-visited paid attraction. The castle has undergone 26 sieges in its 1,100 year history. It is beleived to be the most besieged place in Great Britain and one of the most attacked in the world.

Eilean Donan is a small tidal island where three sea lakes meet. Eilean Donan Castle which frequently appears in photographs, film and television dominates the island. The castle was founded in the thirteenth century, and became a stronghold of the Clan Mackenzie and their allies the Clan MacRae. A footbridge connects the island to the mainland.

A large 18th-century fortress near Ardersier, to the north-east of Inverness in the Highland council area of Scotland. It was built to control the Scottish Highlands in the aftermath of the Jacobite rising of 1745. The current fortress has never been attacked and has remained in continuous use as a garrison. The fort is open to visitors with exhibits and facsimiles showing the fort's use at different periods, while still serving as an army barracks.

Inverness Castle sits on a cliff overlooking the River Ness in Inverness, Scotland. The red sandstone structure, displaying an early castellated style, is the work of a few nineteenth-century architects. There has been a castle on this site for many centuries. Until the 30th of March 2020 it housed Inverness Sheriff Court. In April 2017 the north tower of the castle was opened to the public as a view point. At present, only the castle grounds and the north tower are open to the public.

A majestic ruin of a fortress, a comfortable residence and later a garrison stronghold, and contains the oldest surviving barracks on the British mainland. It was built in the mid-1400s, and it remained the base of the mighty Campbells of Glenorchy for 150 years. It is now in the care of Historic Environment Scotland and is open to the public in summer.

The Tap o' Noth is a hill and fort, 8 miles south of Huntly in Aberdeenshire, Scotland at grid reference NJ485293. It is the second highest fort in Scotland and its main feature is its well-preserved vitrified wall which encloses an area of approximately 100 m by 30 m, 0.3 hectares. Archaeological finds from the site include a stone axe head dated to between c. 2000 BC– c.800 BC, and a decorated bronze rein-ring dated to the 1st–3rd century AD. The site has been designated a scheduled ancient mo

A Castle in ruin, located beside Loch Ness in the Highlands of Scotland. The present ruins date from the 13th to the 16th centuries, though built on the site of an early medieval fortification. The castle played a role in the Wars of Scottish Independence in the 14th century. It was subsequently held as a royal castle, and was raided on several occasions. The casle was largely abandoned by the middle of the 17th century. Urquhart was partially destroyed in 1692 to prevent its use by Jacobite for