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Ardvreck Castle

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Ardvreck Castle is in the far northwest of Scotland, 82 miles northwest of Inverness, 25 miles north of Ullapool, 11 miles east of Lochinver, at Loch Assynt, next to the A837 Road.

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The Castle can be visited all year round free of charge with roadside parking about 300 yards from the Castle. Postcode: IV27 4HL. The Bone Caves are another attraction 4 miles south.

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Camping & Touring Parks in area


1200s - Clan MacLeod gained control of this area known as Assynt.

1590 - Ardvreck Castle was built for Clan MacLeod.

The Castle is on a Peninsular that can be cut off from the mainland when there are vast amounts of rain.

1650 - James, Marquis of Montrose was captured by Neil MacLeod of Ardvreck Castle. The Marquis was held prisoner at Ardvreck Castle before being transported to Edinburgh for trial. The Marquis was a Royalist fighting on the side of King Charles Stuart during the Civil War that led to the the Stuart kings being replaced by the Government.

1650 May - The Marquis of Montrose was Hung at Edinburgh. His head was then cut off and displayed on a spike on the Old Tolbooth by St Giles Cathedral.

Clan MacLeod was a powerful Clan with lands on the Isles of Skye, Harris, and Lewis. Their main seat was Dunvegan Castle on the Isle of Skye.

1660 - the Stuart's were restored to the Throne of Britain.

1672 - Clan MacKenzie captured Ardvreck Castle, then began taking control of the Assynt lands.

1714 - Queen Anne Stuart died, leading to her German cousin George I of Hanover becoming King of Great Britain. This set of a series of wars and Clan fighting as some Clans wanted the Stuart's returned to the throne, and other supported George I. Some Clans split as they fought on both sides, with the wars known as the Jacobite Rebellions.

1726 - Clan Mackenzie built Calda House a few hundred yards south of the Castle using stone from the Castle.

1737 - Calda House was destroyed by fire.

1740s Late - most of the Mackenzie's Estates were seized by the Crown as many of them supported the failed Jacobite Rising of 1745 / 1746. This was an attempt to overthrow King George II so the Stuart's could be returned to the throne.

Some Mackenzie's had fought on the Government side in that Jacobite Rising.

The Mackenzie's had evolved in the area of the Kintail, on the mainland by the Isle of Skye.

The main branch of the MacLeod's of Dunvegan fought on the Government side in the Jacobite Risings of 1745 / 1746. Some Macleod's though fought on the Jacobite side, leading to long running battles within the Clan.

1757 - the Sutherland's gained control of this vast area.

1812 - the Sutherland's began clearing crofters from the land to make way for large scale sheep farming.

1830s - the Vestey Family bought large parts of Assynt as an investment and for Deer Stalking. This family made their fortune through food processing around the world.

2004 - people of Assynt bought parts of the Vestey Estates so they could be run for the community.

Today - the area around Ardvreck Castle is a vast wilderness with a number of mountains popular with hikers.

Many of the Mountains in this area stand alone, attracting sightseers, photographers, and artists.

The pointy Mountain seen in the images right, just north of the Castle, is the 2,651ft / 808m Quinag.

The 3,274ft / 998m Ben More Assynt mountain can be seen at the east side of the Castle.

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