Historic places to go - Highlands & Western Isles

Blackhouse, Arnol In Arnol village, Isle of Lewis, 11m NW of Stornoway on the A858. Tel: 01851 710395 A traditional Lewis thatched house, fully furnished, complete with attached barn, byre and stockyard. A peat fire burns in the open hearth. Closed every Sunday.
Calanais Standing Stones & Visitor Centre About 12 miles west of Stornaway off the A859, Lewis, 8 NB 213 330 Tel: 01851 621422 A cross-shaped setting of standing stones, unique in Scotland and outstanding in Great Britain. Dates to around 3000 BC. The visitor centre is managed by the Urras nan Tursachan. Site open all year seven days a week.. Visitor Centre closed Sunday. Open in summer from 10.00am to 7.00pm and from 10.00am to 4.00pm in winter.
Culloden On B9006, 5m east of Inverness No name in Scottish history evokes more emotion than that of Culloden, the bleak moor which in 1746 saw the hopes of the young Prince Charles Edward Stuart crushed, and the end of the Jacobite Rising, the 'Forty-Five'. The prince's forces, greatly outnumbered by those of the brutal Duke of Cumberland, nevertheless went into battle with a courage which has passed into legend.
Dun Carloway One and a half miles south of Carloway, about 16 miles north west of Stornaway, Lewis, 8 NB 189 412 One of the best preserved broch towers in Scotland.
St Clement's Church At Rodel, Harris A fine 16th century church, built by the Alexander MacLeod of Dunvegan and Harris, and containing his richly-carved tomb.
Steinacleit Cairn and Stone Circle On the south end of Loch an Duin, Shader, Lewis, north west of Stornaway, 8 NB 396 540 The remains of an enigmatic building of early prehistoric date.
Ardclach Bell Tower Eight and a half miles south east of Nairn. 27 NH 953 453. A remarkable little fortified bell tower built in 1655 on the hill above the parish church of Ardclach.
Beauly Priory In Beauly The ruined church of a Valliscaulian priory, one of three founded in 1230. Much of the building was later reconstructed.
Bridge of Oich Four miles south of Fort Augustus on the A82. 34 NH 338 035. This splendid suspension bridge was designed by James Dredge in 1854. It was built using a sophisticated patented design of double cantilevered chain construction with massive granite pylon arches at either end.
Cairn o'Get Five miles north east of Lybster, 12 ND 313 411 A horned and chambered burial cairn.
Carn Liath By the A9, three miles east north east of Golspie 17 NC 870 013 A typical Sutherland brooch, surviving to first-floor level, with associated settlement.
Castle of Old Wick One mile south of Wick, 12 ND 368 487 The ruin of a very early Norse tower house on a spectacular site on a spine of rock projecting into the sea, between two deep, narrow gulleys. Visitors must take great care.
Clava Cairns Six miles east of Inverness, 27 NH 752 439 Two chambered cairns and a ring cairn in a row, each surrounded by a circle of stones. Of late Neolithic or early Bronze Age date. An extensive and well-preserved site in a beautiful setting.
Cnoc Freiceadain Long Cairns Six miles west south west of Thurso, 11 ND 013 654 Two unexcavated long-horned burial cairns of Neolithic date, set at right angles to each other.
Corrimony Chambered Cairn In Glen Urquhart, eight and a half miles west of Drumnadrochit, 26 NH 383 303 A chambered burial cairn surrounded by a kerb of stone slabs, outside which is a circle of 11 standing stones.
Dun Beag One mile west of Bracadale, Skye, 32 NG 339 385 A fine example of a Hebridean broch, apparently occupied to the 18th century.
Dun Dornaigil 10 miles south of Hope, Sutherland, 9 NC 457 450 A well-preserved broch, standing to a height of 22 feet above the entrance passage.
Fort George 11 miles north east of Inverness off the A96, by the village of Ardersier. Tel: 01667 462777 Built following the Battle of Culloden as a Highland fortress for the army of George II, it is one of the outstanding artillery fortifications in Europe and still an active army barracks covering 42 acres. Highlights include reconstructed barrack rooms of the 18th and 19th centuries and the Seafield Collection of arms. The 1780 room shows Private James Anderson, a soldier who served with the 42nd Royal Highlanders. In those days men slept two to a bed and every man in a hundred could have his wife stay in the barracks with him. Fort George is still an active army barracks which houses the Regimental Museum of the Queen's Own Highlanders, also open to the public, check for specific opening times. Following the Jacobite rising of 1745-6 which threatened the Hanoverian rule of the Scottish Highlands, King George II put up the ultimate defence against any further unrest. Built on a barren spit of land jutting into the Moray Firth at Ardersier, north-east of Inverness, Fort George is the mightiest artillery fortification in Britain, if not in Europe. Its elaborate 18th-century bastioned defences and original garrison buildings survive intact. Almost a mile around, Fort George encloses an area of 42 acres (Edinburgh Castle would fit into its parade ground). Despite taking 21 years to complete and costing nearly £1 billion at today's prices, Fort George never saw a shot fired in anger. With its reconstruction of barrack-room and guard-room life, together with a fascinating collection of weapons including the Seafield Collection of arms, Fort George is a must-see on any trip to the Highlands and now the new restaurant offers the visitor an excellent opportunity to take a welcome break. Last ticket sold 45 minutes before closing.


Fortrose Cathedral In Fortrose The surviving fragments consist of the 13th century vaulted undercroft of the chapter house and the south aisle of the nave, a vaulted structure of 14th century date, bothy finely worked, with two canopied monuments, and other interesting memorials. Photo by Duncan Fenton
Gleneig Brochs About eight miles south east of Kyle of Lochalsh, 33 NG 829 172 Two broch towers, standing over 30 feet high, with well-preserved structural features. Set in beautiful surroundings.
Grey Cairns of Camster Five miles north of Lybster, 11 ND 260 441 Two chambered burial cairns of Neolithic date. One is long, with two chambers and projecting 'horns' and the other is round, and contains a single chamber.
Hill o'Many Stanes At Mid Clyth, four miles north east of Lybster, 11 ND 295 384 More than 22 rows of low slabs arranged in a slightly fan-shaped pattern, which may have been a prehistoric astronomical observatory.
Hilton of Cadboll Chapel At Hilton of Cadboll, 12 miles north east of Invergordon, 21 NH 873 768 The foundation remains of a small rectangular chapel building.
Inverlochy Castle Two miles north east of Fort William, 41 NN 121 755 A fine well-preserved 13th century castle of the Comyn family; in the formn of a square, with round towers at the corners. The largest tower was the donjon or keep. It is one of Scotland's earliest stone castles. Access is limited as major consolidation work is in progress. Photo by Duncan Fenton
Knocknagael Boar Stone In Highland Regional Council Offices, Glenurquhart Road, Inverness. A rough slab incised with the Pictish symbols of a mirror-case and a wild boar.
Ruthven Barracks Near Kingussie, 35 NN 764 997 An infantry barracks erected in 1719 following the Jacobite rising of 1715, with two ranges of quarters and a stable block. Captured and burnt by Prince Charles Edward Stuart's army in 1746.
St Mary's Chapel Crosskirk Six miles west of Thurso, 12 ND 025 701 A simple dry-stone chapel, probably of 12th century date.
Urquhart Castle On Loch Ness nr Drumnadrochit on the A82, 35 NH 531 286 Tel: 01456 450551 The remains of one of the largest castles in Scotland dominate a rocky promontory on Loch Ness. Splendid views up and down the Loch, a popular viewpoint for monster spotting. Summer, Monday to Sunday 9.30 am to 6.30 pm Winter, Monday to Saturday 9.30 am to 4.30 pm. Sunday 11.30 am to 4.30pm. Last ticket sold 30 minutes before closing.
Invergarry Castle 7 miles south-west of Fort Augustus, east of A82 NH 315006 17th C tower house. Burnt by both Cromwell & Duke of Cumberland. View exterior only. Photo by Duncan Fenton
St. Duthus's Chapel Tain When Robert The Bruce's wife and daughter sought refuge here from the English army, the rules of sanctuary were ignored by the Earl of Ross, who seized them and handed them over to Edward I.