Castle Varrich Ruins

Tongue, United Kingdom

Castle Varrich precise origins and age are unknown. The ancient seat of the chief of the Clan Mackay was at Castle Varrich, thought to be over one thousand years old, there are believed to be caves under the castle which were once inhabited by the Mackays. It is believed to be possible that the Mackays built their castle on the site in the 14th century, on top of an existing old Norse fort.

The walls are generally 1.4m thick, or thicker, and have been built from roughly squared blocks of metamorphosed sandstone rock of varying thickness, laid in rough courses of random depth. The stones seem to have been laid without the use of mortar, and have suffered little from weathering, considering the possible 1000-year age of the structure, and the nature of the local weather. From places where parts of the walls have fallen away it appears that the construction seen on the wall faces is consistent throughout their thickness; as distinct from the type of walling where the faces have been constructed in a tidy fashion, but between them is a core of rubble.

The castle had two floors plus an attic. The ground floor may have been used as stables, it was entered through an existing door on the north wall. There were no stairs between the two floors suggesting that the ground floor was for horse or cattle. The upper floor entrance was on the south side and would most likely have been accessed by a ladder or removable stair. There was a window in the east wall and fireplace in the west but both have now collapsed past recognition. Later the clan chief's seat moved to Tongue House. Varrich Castle is about one hour's walk away from the village of Tongue, and is clearly sign posted from there.

Varrich Castle offers spectacular views of mountains Ben Loyal and Ben Hope.

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Founded: 14th century
Category: Castles and fortifications in United Kingdom

More Information

en.wikipedia.org

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4.6/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

C Menzies (6 months ago)
Quirky wee castle ruin with a short metal spiral staircase inside which you can climb to get great views all round including over towards Ben Hope. The start of the walk begins in Tongue, there's a small parking area right near the start of the walk which is a 2 mile round trip.
David Pavesi (12 months ago)
A pleasant walk from where we parked in the village. Several benches placed on the pathway as it rises to the "castle" which were very welcome. We tried them all!! Obviously not much to see but the walkway and platform cleverly built and concealed within the ruin gives a stunning view of the surrounding area as your reward. Went in March
Paul MILKINS (2 years ago)
Parked opposite the hotel, a fair walk up to the castle (more a tower) quite steep at times. Lovely views all around from top of tower, but worth the walk ,took about 40 minutes both ways.
Neil Winkworth (2 years ago)
Awesome walk and viewpoint. Very accessible from Tongue - footpath is marked on Google just next to the Ben Loyal pub - also well worth a visit for hearty grub and a pint!
Tork Mackenzie (2 years ago)
A stunningly located castle ruin on a crag above the Kyle of Tongue which can be reached with an easy walk in from the village. Theres not much left of the original but therre has been a viewing platform built with a set of sturdy metal steps so you can get a full 360deg panorama of the gorgeous scenery
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