9 Forts to Explore in Highland

Checkout places to visit in Highland

Highland

Highland is a council area in the Scottish Highlands and is the largest local government area in the United Kingdom. Though relatively populous for a Scottish council area, it is also sparsely populated. At 9.0 per km2 in 2012, the population density is less than one seventh of Scotland's as a whole.

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Forts to Explore in Highland

Ardvreck Castle

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.

Brodie Castle

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.

Castle & Gardens of Mey

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

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

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.

Eilean Donan

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.

Fort George

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

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.

Urquhart Castle

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

Map of Forts to explore in Highland