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 Castle near Fort William.

[edit] Inverlochy Castle

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, chief of the Clan Comyn. (NN120754)

It is now a ruin 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. Later a few minor enhancements were done by Lord Abinger for the visit of Queen Victoria to his house (the railway to Mallaig passes close to the west of the castle).

In 1431, clansmen of the Lords of the Isles defeated James I's army in the 1431 Battle of Inverlochy.

The castle is also famous as a stopping off point in 1645 for the royalist army of James Graham, 1st Marquess of Montrose the 1st during his campaign against the Covenanter forces of the Marquess of Argyll during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. This culminated in a victory for the royalists in the 1645 Battle of Inverlochy on February 2.

In recent years the Castle has annually hosted the local High School graduation party. The Castle ruin is one of Historic Scotland's properties.

[edit] Inverlochy Castle Hotel

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 house 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.