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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, built from
1590 for Clan MacLeod.
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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.
Click On Map for area Attractions
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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