Bucholly Castle ***

Region: Caithness, Sutherland & Ross

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Description:

Time really has done its destructive work here at Bucholly. Sun, sleet, rain and wind, probably helped by human agencies, have left precious little to see. In spite of that, Bucholly, built in the 13^th century by the Mowat family and sitting on the very edge of the cliffs, is charged with a special atmosphere (three stars for me!).

Carefully picking your way among the rubble, feeling the coarse stone beneath your fingertips and looking out to sea you can almost see the past come alive. It is that same feeling that creeps up your spine sitting among the ruins of Fast Castle in Lothian. The castle sits on the exact site of an even older building: Lambabourg, a Viking stronghold in the 12^th century. Bucholly was left to the elements after 1665, when the owner moved to Freswick and a more commodious dwelling.