Ardvreck Castle
This ruined castle on the shore of Loch Assynt, was originally built by the MacLeods. On the 30th April 1650 the Marquis of Montrose, James Graham, was betrayed to the Covenanters here after his defeat in the battle of Carbisdale. He was tied to a horse and taken to Edinburgh where he was hanged. His body was quartered and his head was fixed on a spike on Edinburgh tollbooth.
By StaraBlazkova [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)]
The castle has two ghosts, one a tall man dressed in grey is said to be related to the betrayal of Montrose. The other is the ghost of a daughter of one of the Macleod Chieftains. It is said she was betrothed to the Devil in payment for his services while building the castle. Rather than submit to this wedding from hell, she threw herself from the top of the castle and was killed instantly. Her ghost wanders the ruins.
The legend of a young bride in payment for the Devil’s building work and her subsequent suicide, seems to be a common tale for Scottish Castles.
Directions: The castle can be reached off the A837.
Recent Comments