The history of Scotland's most famous clan castles

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Scotland has plenty of castles and strongholds dotted around the country which are visited yearly by tourists and locals alike.

Our country's clans and where they called home have shaped the history in Scotland, from playing their part in key battles to supporting Scottish kings and queens or helping to defeat invaders.

From famous names like the MacDonalds and the Campbells to lesser-known clans like Chattan and Haig, these family and community-based organisations have made their mark on everything from popular culture to modern business.These traditional clan seats of power are a striking reminder of how important these groups were in creating the Scotland we know and love today, here are some of the most famous.Familiar to any fans of the hit show Outlander, Clan MacKenzie were based at Castle Leod in real life, not the fictional Castle Leoch.Found near the village of Strathpeffer in Easter Ross, the castle was the seat of the MacKenzies, which is derived from the Gaelic 'Maccoinneach' which means 'son of the fair bright one'.The first mentions of this fascinating clan originate in the 14th century when they sided with the King against the Lords of the Isles, the MacDonalds.This historic seat of the MacDougall clan was built at a defensive site that dates back to 600AD.Created to cement their power base on the west coast as the original Lords of Argyll and Lords of Lorn, the castle served as their seat of power until they surrendered it in a battle with Robert the Bruce.

It eventually passed into the hands of the Campbells.Found on the Argyll coast near Oban, the partially ruined castle still maintains much of its grandeur.With a name deriving from the Gaelic for curved mouth (Cam beul), Clan Campbell quickly rose