Ardvreck Castle
Ardvreck Castle is still one of the historic medieval treasures in the Scottish Highlands. This area is dotted with many lakes and the hilly region of the island is emblematic of the Scottish fascinating nature with which the country is popular worldwide.
The combination of the picturesque natural scenery and this historical site is of high interest for the tourists from around the world who come to this northern part of Scotland.
Ardvreck Castle and its interesting ruins are perched on the Loch Assynt Lake Island, which is located in the Scottish county of Sutherland. It seems untouched by the human presence but the region around Ardvreck is located very close to the village - Inchnadamph. The best way to reach the castle Ardvreck is on the road - A837, which follows the northern shore of Lake Loch Assynt. From there Inverness city is located about 55 km away and Gairloch is 53 kilometers.
Ardvreck Castle dates from the late 16th century, but until today it has only managed to maintain only sketchy remnants of the former medieval fortress. Not withstanding the small size of the main tower, once Ardvreck was a massive and impressive fort, which was surrounded by a wall and a beautiful courtyard garden.
Today, remnants of the former major structure of the fortress can be seen far from the main body of Ardvreck, which was preserved until today. Most significantly, which constitutes today the castle Ardvreck are the ruins of a tower and part of the firewall. Quite often, when the lake waters rise, the small peninsula, which was erected to Ardvreck becomes detached from the mainland.
It is believed that the fortress was built there around 1590 by the MacLeod clan, who owned land around the lake during the 13th century. Ardvreck Castle was besieged and captured by the MacKenzie clan in 1672, whom assumed control of the land and the lake. In 1726 this family rises a higher and a modern mansion in the neighborhood called, Calda House. The house was burnt down in mysterious circumstances one night in 1737.
Around the castle Ardvreck floats pretty legends about ghosts. One of them tells of a tall man dressed in gray. Another interesting legend says that once the MacLeod clan made an agreement with the devil to be able to build a castle. In return for their assistance the devil wanted a daughter in the family. In desperation, the girl threw herself from the highest tower of the castle Ardvreck.
