Ardvreck Castle

What makes it special

What stands today is an oblong tower with a round stair tower at its south-east corner, still several storeys high above the grass. Ardvreck is one of the few late medieval Highland clan castles of its kind still standing.

It was the seat of the MacLeods of Assynt, a fairly small, simple keep over a double vaulted basement, dating to around the end of the 16th century. In 1650 the Marquis of Montrose was taken here, and legend adds a grey ghost in the tower and a mermaid whose tears raise the loch.

Water surrounds the castle on three sides, and only a narrow strip of sand joins it to the shore. On that strip, west of the stone field wall, look for the faint line of a rampart and ditch.

Visiting

Free at any hour, with no gate, so the visit runs at your pace. Start at the information boards by the car park, then follow the gravel and grass path to the promontory.

Cross the sand neck and walk round the outside of the tower, reading the height of the walls and the vaulted cellars from the grass.

On the way back, stop at Calda House, the mansion the MacKenzies built in 1726. It burned down in 1737, and only its shell survives.

Tips

Arrive before noon or after 3pm between June and August, when the car park fills. There are no toilets, food or fuel on site, so sort all three in Lochinver first.

Come in daylight: the ruin is unlit and the grass and rock turn slippery.