Ardvreck Castle
This ruined castle on the shore of Loch Assynt, was originally built by the MacLeods.
Country and County: Highland
Dunrobin Castle
The castle is interesting because of its associated haunting, and it also houses a museum within its grounds containing many enigmatic picture stones. These stones, found all over Eastern Scotland are Pictish in origin, and nobody has successfully explained the strange symbols and pictures which decorate their surface.
History
Smoo Cave
Smoo Cave is a limestone cavern consisting of three chambers, a burn enters the second chamber through a hole in the roof falling for a distance of 80 feet.
Loch Ma Naire
This loch has long been seen as a healing loch, according to legend the loch received its powers from a magical healing stone belonging to a wise woman.
Balnuaran of Clava
The Clava Cairns – or more correctly Balnuaran of Clava – is one of the best preserved Bronze Age burial sites in Scotland. There are three cairns here, two with passage ways aligned to the Midwinter sunset, and all with more subtle features, incorporated to reflect the importance of the South-west horizon.
Eilean Donan Castle
Situated in Loch Druich, the castle as it stands now is the result of a 20 year restoration and reconstruction project undertaken by Lt.Col. John MacRae-Gilstrap when he purchased the ruin and the island it sits upon, in 1919.
Isabel Gowdie, Witch of Auldearn
Isabel (Isobel) Gowdie was a young housewife from Auldearn in Nairnshire who is remembered not just for being tried as a witch, but for her detailed confession. Her trial was in 1662 and what makes her confession so interesting, apart from the detail, is that is that it was supposedly taken without the use of torture.
Loch Druich Mermaids
There is a story connected to Loch Druich and three brothers who happened across a troupe of merfolk. One night the brothers were by the loch side when they saw a group of seals come up onto the beach and shred their furry skins. Beneath the skins were naked people, who danced together on the shore.
Loch Maree
Until the middle of the 18th century bulls were sacrificed on August 25th (St Maerlrubha’s Day) to dragons that dwelt in the lake. These may have been akin to the creatures still reported in other Scottish Lochs to this day.
Taken from an article by Richard Freeman.
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