Loch Ness - Urquhart Castle

Follow the A82 about halfway along Loch Ness and just before the "Monster Exhibition" at Drumnadrochit the remains of Urquhart Castle appear standing on a tongue of land jutting out into the lake. Set against the backdrop of lake and mountain the castle is at the center of many ancient myths. Dating from the 12th century it was once a typical example of a motte and bailey fortification, but in the 14th century stone walls replaced the original wooden structure. In 1509 James IV gave the castle to John Grant of Freuchie, whose family commissioned James Moray to extend the keep. At the end of the 17th century the fortified castle fell victim to a fire.