Castlecraig, also known as Craig Castle and Castle Craig, is a 16th-century fortification located on the north shore of the Black Isle

Black Isle

The Black Isle is an eastern area of the Highland local government council area of Scotland, within the county of Ross and Cromarty. The name nearly always includes the article "the"....

 in northern Scotland

Scotland

Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

. It is on the south coast of the Cromarty Firth

Cromarty Firth

The Cromarty Firth of Cromarty') is an arm of the North Sea in Scotland. It is the middle of the three sea lochs at the head of the Moray Firth: to the north lies the Dornoch Firth, and to the south the Beauly Firth....

, 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) north-east of Culbokie

Culbokie

Culbokie is a small village in Ross and Cromarty, Highland, Scotland, located on the north side of the Black Isle. The village is 3.5 miles north-east of Dingwall and about 12 miles north of Inverness. There is one school, a shop/post office, a public house and Findon Hall...

 and 19 kilometres (11.8 mi) north of the city of Inverness

Inverness

Inverness is a city in the Scottish Highlands. It is the administrative centre for the Highland council area, and is regarded as the capital of the Highlands of Scotland...

. The castle is protected as a category A listed building, and as a scheduled monument.

Castlecraig is a ruined tower house. The north-east wing still stands and remains roofed, although another wing to the north-west has collapsed. The tower may have been used as a residence by the post-Reformation

Scottish Reformation

The Scottish Reformation was Scotland's formal break with the Papacy in 1560, and the events surrounding this. It was part of the wider European Protestant Reformation; and in Scotland's case culminated ecclesiastically in the re-establishment of the church along Reformed lines, and politically in...

 Bishops of Ross

Bishop of Ross

The Bishop of Ross was the ecclesiastical head of the Diocese of Ross, one of Scotland's 13 medieval bishoprics. The first recorded bishop appears in the late 7th century as a witness to Adomnán of Iona's Cáin Adomnáin. The bishopric was based at the settlement of Rosemarkie until the mid-13th...

.

Location

Finding the tower can prove to be difficult. Castlecraig can not be seen from the main road (B9163). From Inverness

Inverness

Inverness is a city in the Scottish Highlands. It is the administrative centre for the Highland council area, and is regarded as the capital of the Highlands of Scotland...

 drive north on the A9 for about 10 miles, turn right on the B9163 towards Cromarty

Cromarty

The Royal Burgh of Cromarty is a burgh in Ross and Cromarty, Highland, Scotland.-History:It was previously the county town of the former county of Cromartyshire...

, travel 6 miles then turn left at a side road posted Craigton. Take the next road to the left and go to the end. The castle will be on the right side, accessible by crossing, on foot, through the farmers field.

External links

• Craig Castle, Resolis: Website of the Black Isle Partnership