A short 30 minute walk from the wee highland town of Tongue in far northern Scotland stands an impressive and somewhat mystical hill-fort. Easily accomplished in a single afternoon, the walk up to Castle Varraich will take you through some densely wooded areas, gentle hillsides, and to easily the most impressive view in the entire highland region.

Castle Varraich appears to be a little understood hillside fort. From everything I’ve read, most Historians agree that the fort was a bastion for the Mackay Clan, whom built the Castle on top of older ruins built by Norse invaders, sometime prior to the Middle Ages. While there have been a few battles fought around the area, it appears as though the Mackay Clan used it fairly consistently from at least the 14th century. While the Castle itself appears to be infrequently visited by tourists en route across the Northern 500, it is definitely a must-see in the region. To start the walk you’ll need to visit the town of Tongue, which is in the far north of the Highland region in Scotland. While most visitors to the region will pass by Tongue whilst on their journey across the Northern 500, this little town is worth a brief stop-over for the walk up to Castle Varraich.

To begin the walk park up at the parking area outside the Ben Loyal Hotel. One of two pubs in town, the Ben Loyal will be welcoming you back to town with a cold pint of heavy in just over an hour. You can find the Ben Loyal Hotel in the dead centre of the village of Tongue, and there is a perfect carpark to post up at directly across the road. Once parked, strap on your boots, as the way is going to get muddy – real muddy. Walk back up the hill towards the cross roads at the centre of town, and you should come to a small garden path to your immediate left – there should be a sign pointing to Castle Varraich – follow this downhill for about 5 minutes, you’ll pass by a few houses, several fields and some dwellings that look disarmingly like hobbit houses. The way is clearly marked, and continue downhill until you reach a precipitous looking bridge over a small river – cross over this, and make your way slowly up the hillside on the other side. When I was here, this part of the track was fairly muddy, so if you haven’t brought boots with you, you may be mired at this stage. However, the woods around this part of the track are utterly spellbinding, particularly in late autumn – deep shades of russet and orange brown throng the path, and you’ll be able to hear a gentle twinkling of a close by stream.

Make your way up the winding path until you leave the tree line – if you’ve timed it right, you should emerge before the final narrow pathway up to the castle just as the sun is burnishing it in a deep gold. When I first caught sight of the Castle from this angle I felt genuinely struck – the sight is beautiful. Now, your way is fairly clear – keep moving on up the path until you reach the summit. You now have the option of exploring the base of the Castle or immediately ascending it for the panorama – whichever way you go, ensure that you give yourself ample time to wander around the base of the Castle, the local historical society have done an absolutely fabulous job in restoring this ruin, the views afforded from each angle around Castle Varraich are enough to snatch your breath without hope of return.

Once satisfied, your exit route is the same as your entry – follow the path straight back to town, it shouldn’t take you any longer than half an hour. Once there, pull yourself up at a barstool at the Ben Loyal Hotel and order the coldest, crispest beer currently being served – you’ve earned it.

No road trip through the Northern 500 would be complete without the quick pitstop at Castle Varraich. It’s an experience that I’d heartily recommend to any visitor to the Highland region. Any questions, fire away in the comments.

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