Inverlochy Castle

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The ruins of the older Inverlochy Castle, painted by Horatio McCulloch in 1857.

Inverlochy Castle

There can be confusion because there are two places called Inverlochy Castles near Fort William.

Inverlochy Castle is a castle located near Fort William, Inverness-shire, Scotland. It is said to have been built about 1270-1280 by John "the Black" Comyn, Lord of Badenoch and Lochaber . (NN120754)

It is now a ruin but but is unusual because the layout has changed little since it was built. Originally there was a water filled ditch on three sides and the River Lochy on the fourth side.

It is now a ruin but is unusual because the layout has changed little since it was built. Though a few minor enhancements were done by Lord Abinger for the visit of Queen Victoria to his house (the railway passes close to the castle).

In 1431, clansmen of the Lords of the Isles defeated James I's army at Inverlochy. The castle is also famous as a stopping off point in 1645 for the royalist army of James Graham the 1st Marquess of Montrose during his campaign against the Covenanter forces of the Marquess of Argyll during the Scottish Civil War. This culminated in a victory for the royalists in the Battle of Inverlochy on 2 February.

There is also Inverlochy Castle Hotel which is about two miles away from Inverlochy Castle. This is a baronial mansion which built in 1863 by the 1st Lord Abinger. Queen Victoria spent a week at Inverlochy during a 1873 visit to Balmoral, remarking "I never saw a lovelier or more romantic spot". [1] (NN138767)

The castle has been used as a hotel since 1969. It is arguably one of the most prestigious country house hotels in the world and was voted "Best hotel in Europe" by Travel and Leisure Magazine in 2006.

In recent years the Castle has annually hosted the local High School graduation party.