LOCHNESS & URQUHART CASTLE - SCOTLND 2022

Urquhart Castle ( Scottish Gaelic : Caisteal na Sròine ) is a castle ruin located on the Scottish Highlands of Loch Ness in the Scottish Highlands . The castle is located on the A82 road 21 km southwest of Inverness and 2 km east of the village of Drumnadrochit .

Outline drawing of the castle. C = Nether Bailey, J = Upper bailey and F = Grant Tower.
It dates from between the 13th and 16th centuries , although the castle was built on an early medieval fortification . Urquhart was founded in the 13th century and played a role in the Scottish War of Independence in the 14th century. It was used as a royal castle and attacked several times by the Earls of Ross from the MacDonald clan. The castle was given to the Grant Clan in 1509, although the conflict with the MacDonald Clan continued. Despite a series of looting, the castle was fortified, only to be abandoned in the mid-17th century. Urquhart was partially destroyed in 1692 to prevent the Jacobite forcesin using it, and then it fell due. In the 20th century, it passed into state ownership and was opened to the public. It is today one of the most visited castles in Scotland.

The castle is located on a headland overlooking Loch Ness and is one of the largest castles in Scotland in terms of area. The entrance was from the west and the castle was defended with a tomb and drawbridge . The buildings lay around two cabinets. The north, Nether Bailey, has most of the intact masonry, including the gatehouse and the five-story Grant Tower at the north end of the castle. The southern enclosure, Upper Bailey, is higher than Nether Bailey and has sparse remains of former buildings.

Several observations of the cryptic Loch Ness monster have been reported in and around Urquhart Castle.