CASTLES NAIRN

Cawdor Castle is a magnificent medieval stronghold in the Scottish Highlands near Nairn, built around a 15th-century tower house and an ancient hawthorn tree. The ancestral home of the Campbells since the 14th century, it remains in pristine condition and has never been attacked in over 700 years. Visitors explore twelve principal rooms housing rare tapestries, fine art, furniture, and sculpture spanning 3,500 years. The expansive grounds encompass three beautiful gardens, the Cawdor Big Wood, and a nine-hole golf course, with visitor shops, a restaurant, and cafe.

Rait Castle is a rare example of early fourteenth-century Scottish stone hall-house architecture, standing as a scheduled monument near Nairn south of Inverness. Originally constructed by the Cumming family, also known as de Rait, this approximately fifty-four by twenty-two foot structure stands thirty-six feet in height and features distinctive round towers and a garderobe projection. The castle later passed to Clan Mackintosh and then Clan Campbell of Cawdor, becoming a site of historical drama and betrayal. The castle's layout reveals medieval defensive features including a courtyard, round towers, and chapel remains. Its dramatic history, architectural significance as an early hall-house design, and current status as a protected monument make it an important representation of medieval Scottish castle building.