The Doune of Invernochty is an earthwork

Earthworks (engineering)

Earthworks are engineering works created through the moving or processing of quantities of soil or unformed rock.- Civil engineering use :Typical earthworks include roads, railway beds, causeways, dams, levees, canals, and berms...

 castle in 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...

. The name is a corruption of Dùn Inbhir Nochdaidh which means, in Gaelic, the "Fort of Invernochty (confluence of River Nochty)."

Dating from around 800 AD it is a moated motte

Motte-and-bailey

A motte-and-bailey is a form of castle, with a wooden or stone keep situated on a raised earthwork called a motte, accompanied by an enclosed courtyard, or bailey, surrounded by a protective ditch and palisade...

 and was a stronghold of the Mormaer of Mar and is thus sometimes described as the 'Citadel of Mar'. The nearest villages are Bellabeg

Bellabeg

Bellabeg is a small roadside settlement in Strathdon, Aberdeenshire, Scotland.Bellabeg lies on the north side of the River Don opposite the village of Strathdon.-External links:*...

 and Strathdon

Strathdon

Strathdon is an area in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It is situated in the strath of the River Don, 45 miles west of Aberdeen in the Highlands...

, the latter used to be called Invernochty.

External links