Tor Castle

Tor Castle stands on a low ridge west of the River Lochy and east of the Caledonian Canal, about five kilometres north-east of Fort William in the Scottish Highlands. The ruin overlooks the waterway and the surrounding moorland, with Ben Nevis visible on clear days. An earlier Iron Age fort once occupied the same spot, and local tradition links the site to Banquo of Macbeth fame. The name Tor Castle itself comes from the Gaelic Tigh-ghairm nan Cat, meaning ‘The House of Invocation of the Cats’. A ruined tower house now crowns the ridge, its broken walls showing repairs from many centuries. The castle’s history stretches back to at least the 11th century, when Gillicattan Mor of Clan Chattan built the first stone stronghold. By the 14th century the Macdonalds of Keppoch had added a keep, and the Camerons later turned it into their principal stronghold. In 1530 Ewen Mor Cameron rebuilt the tower, and it remained the clan’s seat until a new house was built at Achnacarry after 1665. The site witnessed feuds, legal battles and the final Jacobite rising before falling into ruin. Visitors find a grassy ridge topped by two standing walls of mortared rubble, the tallest reaching four metres. A water-filled ditch once defended the approach, and traces of an outer barmkin wall survive on the north side. The interior measures roughly eight metres by five metres, with turf covering smaller wall sections. From the ridge there are wide views across the canal to the Great Glen and the Nevis range. The lonely ruin carries the weight of centuries in its cracked stone and quiet slopes.