Inverlochy Castle sits on the banks of the river Lochy, about
2 km from Fort William at the Southern end of the Great Glen,
near the point that the river Lochy runs into Loch Linnhe.
It is one of the oldest stone castles in Scotland, built about
1280 by the Comyns of Badenoch, one of the strongest and wealthiest
families in Scotland.
Although ruined, the castle is surprisingly complete with
thirty foot high curtain walls.
Inverlochy Castle was built as a square courtyard,
roughly 30 m across, with round corner towers. The curtain
wall stood almost 10 m high and is clearly defensive, with
no windows or openings except the two opposing gates, the
seagate and a strong south gate, each defended by a portcullis
and barred door. The south gate also appears to have had an
internal guardhouse.
Its ruined condition reveals that it was built of an assortment
of stone, some of which had been rounded by fluvial transport.
In the early 1300's Inverlochy Castle passed
to Robert the Bruce and was the location for two major battles,
one in 1431 when Donald Balloch and Alasdair Carrach led MacDonalds
to victory over the Stewarts. Later in the Covenanting/Civil
wars , the Marquis of Montrose defeated the Covenanting Army
of the Earl of Argyll in 1645.
Today the castle is in the care of Historic
Scotland and is open to public access.
A new "castle"
was built nearby by the 1st Lord Abinger in 1863, which is
used as a hotel.
|
