Although the Highland Research and History Tour didn't officially start until Friday evening, we were all in Inverness by Thursday evening, so after breakfast, we piled into the van and headed for Urquhart Castle.
King James IV bestowed "the lands of Glen Urquharr and
its castle" upon John Grant of Freuchie. Overlooking beautiful Loch Ness, the Castle was frequently under
siege by MacDonald, Lord of the Isles.
The Garrison
When the Grants abandoned the castle, they demolished the front entrance to stop the castle from coming into the hands of the Jacobite forces. They catapulted canon balls from a trebuchet to knock pieces of the grand entrance apart
This is a fragment that blew off the Grand Entrance during the explosion:
The day was wonderful and everyone enjoyed the day and the history, but being in the presence of someone who could prove an ancestral connection made touring the castle quite special.
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