Moray-Shire Tour: Day Trip to Brodie Castle, Fort George & More

In 1726, the first fortification known as Fort George was completed in Inverness. During the 1745 rising the fort was besieged by three thousand Jacobite’s. Cutoff and unable to be relieved by Crown forces, Fort George was surrendered in February 1746 after mines had reached the outer walls. The victorious Jacobite’s blew up Old Fort George to prevent it being reused as a military base by the British Army.

In 1747, following the Crown victory at the battle of Culloden, Colonel William Skinner, the King’s Military Engineer for north Britain, was given a contract to rebuild Fort George. The decision was taken to build the new Fort George at a location 10 mi (16 km) away from Inverness at the mouth of the Moray Firth. The site of Old Fort George lay abandoned for almost 70 years, until in the mid-19th century a red sandstone castellated building called Inverness Castle was built on the fort’s former site. Fort George is still operated to this day by the British Army.

The original Z-plan castle was built in 1567 by Clan Brodie but was destroyed by fire in 1645 by Lewis Gordon of Clan Gordon, the 3rd Marquis of Huntly. In 1824, architect William Burn was commissioned to convert it into a mansion house in the Scots Baronial style, but these additions were never completed and were later re-modelled by James Wylson.

The Brodie family called the castle home until the early 21st century. It is widely accepted that the family has been associated with the land on which the castle stands since around 1160, when it is believed that King Malcolm IV gave the land to the family. Architecturally, the castle has a well-preserved 16th-century central keep with two 5-storey towers on opposing corners. The interior of the castle is also well preserved, containing fine antique furniture, oriental artefacts and painted ceilings, largely dating from the 17th–19th centuries.

Benromach distillery is a Speyside distillery founded by Duncan McCallum and F.W. Brickman in 1898 and currently owned and run by Gordon and MacPhail of Elgin. It is situated near Forres in Morayshire and is fed with spring water from the Chapelton Springs in the Romach Hills beside Forres. Enjoy a tasting of Gin as well as their Whisky in their comfortable tasting lounge.

Designed by Chief Engineer Murdoch Paterson and built by the Highland railway in 1889, the impressive 29 arches of the Culloden viaduct stretch over the valley and River Nairn. The imposing structure built in sandstone is similar to the Glenfinnan Viaduct (Harry Potter) but on a much larger scale.

Clava Cairns or the Prehistoric Burial Cairns of Bulnuaran of Clava are a group of three Bronze Age cairns located near Inverness. A hugely significant and exceptionally well-preserved prehistoric site, Clava Cairns is a fantastic example of the distant history of Highland Scotland, dating back about 4,000 years.

The Clava Cairns provided inspiration for the Craigh na Dun standing stones in the book and TV series Outlander. Most observed is the famous “Cleft Stone” that transports the main character Claire back in time is located here.

On 16 April 1746, the final Jacobite Rising came to a brutal head. Jacobite supporters, seeking to restore the Stuart monarchy to the British thrones, gathered to fight the Duke of Cumberland’s government troops. It was the last pitched battle on British soil and, in less than an hour, around 1,600 men were slain, 1500 of them Jacobite’s. The Visitor Museum contains artefacts from both sides of the bloody battle that day.