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Urquhart Castle’s Main Tower - Courtesy of Jjhake ©
Urquhart Castle
Drumnadrochit
Inverness IV63 6XJ
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Opening Times
Daily 1st April to 30th September 9.30am - 6pm Daily from 1st October to 31st March 9.30am - 5pm
The castle has figured prominently in the Scots' struggle for independence from England in the fourteenth century. The castle and glen were frequently plundered and raided in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. This was mainly undertaken by the Macdonalds, lords of the Isles.
In 1296, the Urquhart estate was claimed by Edward I of England, the Hammer of the Scots, when he crossed the River Tweed. Urquhart Castle and others fell into English hands. Sir William Fitzwarine was appointed its keeper and almost immediately experienced trouble. It was in the summer of 1297 that Andrew Moray, heir to the large Moray estates, led a night attack on the castle. The keeper lost his own son in the failed attack.
Urquhart Castle is situated beside Loch Ness and was once a stronghold of medieval Scotland. It was extensively ruined but remains a magnificent structure, as it sits on a headland overseeing Loch Ness.
It is not known precisely when the castle was built. However, records show the existence of a castle on the headland from the early 1200's. The land had been granted to the Durward family in 1229. The castle definately existed in 1296, as Edward I of England captured the castle around this time.
By the time of Edward's second march into Moray in 1303, the castle was being held by Sir Alexander de Forbes for the Scots. It is not known what became of Sir William Fitzwarine. The English reclaimed the castle after a long, hard-fought battle.
The new keeper, Sir Alexander Comyn of Badenoch, and his namesake clan, were now violently opposed to Robert the Bruce. Robert the Bruce was crowned King of Scots at Scone
in 1306, and by the summer of 1308, he had annihilated the Comyns and taken control of Urquhart Castle.
The Revolution of 1689 saw the flight into exile of the last Stewart king, James VII of Scotland and II of England. He was replaced by Protestant William and Mary. The castle was garrisoned for the last time. Three companies of inadequately armed Highlanders held the castle for the new king and queen against a Jacobite force estimated at six hundred strong. The castle was blown up when the garrison left in order that it could not be used for the Jacobite cause. Hence the castle's condition today.
The visitor centre has a display on the history of the site which includes finds from the medieval period. There is a restaurant, cinema, and a shop.
Adults £6.00 Children £2.50 Seniors £4.50
