Eilean Donan Castle

Eilean Donan Castle is one of the best known and most photogenic of Scotland's castles. It sits on a small island in Loch Duich against the impressive background of Beinn a Chuirn. Reached by a stone causeway the castle dates from 1220 (Gaelic "eilean" = "island"). It was later taken over by the Mackenzies of Kintail and is now the seat of the McRae clan. During the Jacobite uprisings the major part of the structure was destroyed by the cannons of an English warship (1719). Restoration work did not start until 1912 and was completed in 1932. A small exhibition is devoted to the "Jacobite attempts" and the history of the clan.