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ADVENTURE OF THE MONTH—DECEMBER, 2005

(6th of a series)

        The classic castle, like great art, is difficult to define. Ask anyone to describe his or her idealized castle and you may get the same answer you commonly hear for great art: "I know what I like, and I’ll know it when I see it."
        We love castles—of all shapes and sizes and all states of repair. We have our favorites, too, just like we have our favorite music and painters. In this series we present castles we have enjoyed and hope our enthusiasm compels the reader to make their own pilgrimage to these great shrines of history and monuments to imagination.

LOCH NESS, NORTHERN CENTRAL SCOTLAND

THE CASTLE WITH EVERYTHING — EVEN A MONSTER
        For many Home at First visitors to Scotland, Urquhart (Oor-kurt) Castle has it all:
• DRAMATIC SETTING: A medieval castle ruin amid a scenic Highland landscape—lochside, surrounded by mountains
• DRAMATIC HISTORY: A history of battles between the Highland Scots and the English and among the clans themselves
• MONTROUS ASSOCIATIONS: Close proximity to Scotland’s best-known mystery, the Loch Ness Monster
• FAMILY FRIENDLY: Open for hands-on exploration by children as well as adults
• EASY ACCESSIBILITY: All this with excellent accessibility from Home at First lodgings in Central Scotland and in Inverness and the Northern Highlands

URQUHART CASTLE, LOCH NESS, SCOTLAND 

DRAMATIC SETTING
        The ruins of 13th century Urquhart Castle are strewn across Strone Point, a rocky outcropping on the west shore of Loch Ness in north central Scotland. The castle isn’t the first human habitation on this defensive site—indications of an Iron Age fort and other prehistoric archeological evidence have been found here and close by. Why here in this otherwise lonely part of the Highlands? Castle Urquhart is located about halfway along the length of Loch Ness, a 700-foot-deep waterway that fills much of a cross-Scotland fissure called the Great Glen. This 60-mile-long valley provides an easy crossing of the rugged Highlands from the Atlantic near Ft. William to the southwest all the way to the North Sea at the Moray Firth northeast of Inverness. Because the rugged mountains of the Scottish Highlands hem in the Great Glen, the valley became a natural transportation route connecting Scotland’s two coasts. Much commerce would flow through this valley. Armies would also take this route to move quickly across Scotland.

DRAMATIC HISTORY
        It is likely that Scottish lords built the first portion of the medieval castle at Strone Point some time around 1230 to enforce the Scottish king’s rule over rebellious Highlanders. During the next fifty years, the Scottish crown disintegrated, and England’s King Edward I (Longshanks, "the Hammer of the Scots") took control over much of Scotland—including Urquhart Castle—in an attempt to unite all of Britain under the English crown for the first time. In response, the William ("Braveheart") Wallace led his Scottish army (which included Irish and French volunteers) against Edward’s English army. Urquhart Castle was soon back in the hands of the Scots, but only briefly, as Edward’s army took it back in 1303. This time Robert the Bruce—soon to become King of Scotland—recaptured the castle and handed it back to the Earls of Moray. By mid-century, Urquhart became property of the Scottish Crown, which invested heavily in repair and expansion of the castle.

MEDIEVAL TREBUCHET WAR MACHINE AT URQUHART CASTLE.

        Though the English threat was essentially gone, the next three centuries were not peaceful in the Highlands. Clan warfare—not unlike the tribal warfare we see in Afghanistan and Iraq today—was nearly constant, with the aggressive MacDonalds attempting to expand their territory. Urquhart Castle’s strategic importance made its possession a coveted prize in this struggle, and its ownership changed hands several times, bringing much suffering to the residents of the Great Glen. When, in the 1600’s, the Stewart Kings of Scotland followed the Tudors to the Throne of England, the clan wars subsided and the castle was abandoned. At this time local citizens plundered the castle walls for building materials. By the end of the 17th century with the Stewart Kings deposed and start of the Jacobite Wars, Urquhart Castle saw its last action when a garrison of British Highlander troops chased off a pro-Stewart militia and blew up the remaining useful parts of the fortress. The castle was left in ruins and remains so to this day.

MONSTROUS ASSOCIATIONS
        Loch Ness, of course, is better known for its resident monster, Nessie, than for Urquhart Castle. The castle’s perch, Strone Point, provides an excellent overview of the loch. At least one sighting of Nessie has been made from close to the castle. It’s easy to combine a visit to the castle with a visit to the Loch Ness Monster Visitor Centre less than 2 miles northwest in the lochside village of Drumnadrochit. Boat rides on Loch Ness are available at the center.

IS THAT NESSIE'S WAKE?

FAMILY FRIENDLY
        Like many castles throughout Britain, once you’re in you have the run of the place, including climbing whatever ramparts and towers may still be climbed. The prospect of scrambling all over the castle ruins makes Urquhart ideal for kids. Expect to peer into the castle’s prison, climb a spiral staircase to the top of a five-storey tower, and see what’s left of dozens of rooms and outbuildings, including the castle keep and four turrets. Parents need to be vigilant, however, and expect open heights, narrow ledges, and few guardrails or safety devices. A kilted bagpiper often wanders the castle grounds providing appropriate Highland background music.

EASY ACCESSIBILITY
        Castle Urquhart is on the A82 between Ft. William and Inverness, and is within day-trip range of Home at First lodgings in Central Scotland or Inverness and Northern Scotland. From either lodging location, a visit to the castle and Loch Ness can be part of a full-day round-trip that includes a drive on the A86 past Loch Laggan down the mythical Glen Bogle of TV’s "Monarch of the Glen".
        Castle Urquhart is maintained as a National Trust for Scotland property by the government agency Historic Scotland. The site has a visitor center with a café and craft shop.

OPEN: April–September daily 9:30AM-6:30PM; October–March daily 9:30AM-4:30PM. Closed 25-26DEC.

ADMISSION (subject to change): Adult £6; Child £2.40; Seniors & students £4.50

LOCH LAGGAN, "GLEN BOGLE" FROM
BBC-TV'S "MONARCH OF THE GLEN"

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