Scotland's third most popular castle under pressure from tourists

Urquhart Castle on the banks of Loch Ness is now attracting some 400,000 visitors a year, with the infrastructure around the medieval pile now requiring reinforcement.

Historic Environment Scotland (HES) has applied for scheduled monument status to carry out investigation works at the site, with hopes to build a new path and route from the gatehouse to Grant Tower.

“The results are intended to inform an options appraisal for reinstating a path/route from the rear of the Grant Tower to the gatehouse, which has been identified as necessary to alleviate visitor safety and capacity issues,” an assessment from HES said.

Urquhart Castle is a key stop off for visitors on Highland tours, with the lochside panorama and close proximity to Inverness making it a must-see destination.

In 2019, almost 550,000 people went through the gates at Urquhart Castle, with the figure falling back to 357,157 visitors in 2022. HES said that 400,000 people visited the site last year.

READ MORE: Tour operators urged to leave out Calanais Standing Stones from schedules

A spokeswoman for HES said: “We’re in the early stages of exploring options to improve accessibility to and from the Grant Tower lower levels at Urquhart Castle. The scoping work is about looking at options to reinstate an access route to help reduce congestion in the vicinity of Grant Tower at peak times

“In terms of visitor numbers, last year Urquhart Castle welcomed over 400,000 visitors. Scheduled monument consent (SMC) is required for any groundwork and for site investigations, which will inform our geotechnical design for any new foundations.

“Geotechnical design excavation works need to be overseen by archaeologists as we will be working inside the scheduled area. We hope this activity will allow for future foundation works for a new, more accessible pedestrian route.”

The castle is the third most visited in Scotland following Edinburgh and Stirling.

It may have been the residence of Emchath, a Pictish nobleman visited by St Columba around 580AD with the saint, according to his biographer, encountering a monster in the loch.

Urquhart was also taken by the English when Edward I invaded in 1296, with the Lords of the Isles then repeatedly seizing the stronghold in the later Middle Ages in an effort to expand their territory into the north-east.

In the 1500s, Clan Grant was given the castle and charged with its repair and with bringing it back into use.

The castle was garrisoned for the last time in 1689, with the towering gatehouse deliberately blown up three years later so it could never be used by the military again. It was never repaired.

Today, it is the latest historical attraction to feel the strain of visitor numbers.

In Orkney, erosion at the Ring of Brodgar has led to restrictions on access, particularly on days of poor weather and cruise ship arrivals, which can create a surge of visitors at the site in a short space of time.

In Lewis, those running bus tours have been asked to consider removing Calanais Standing Stones, where ongoing erosion has been recorded, from their routes until spring 2026. While building work is underway for a new visitor centre, parking and facilities will be significantly restricted.