One such stronghold is Lochindorp Castle, near Grantown on Spey, the 13th century island fortress-home of the "Celtic Attila", the Wolf of Badenoch. To get to the now-ruined castle means crossing the destitue landscape of Dava moor, until suddenly an expanse of water appears in the distance. In the middle of the loch is Lochindorp.
The 13th century was a time when the Comyns (Cummings) ruled virtually supreme in the Highlands. They were said to be descended from Charlemagne, the de Comines came over with William the Conqueror, under whose influence they soon rose to power.
In the year 1230, a Comyn is thought to have been residing at Lochindorp, with the castle dominating a large part of Moray as it guarded the passes and the routes to Inverness. The powerful family was hated and feared in Strathspey and Badenoch.
But at the beginning of the 14th century, a John Comyn joined the Scots patriots in an effort to drive the English out of Scotland. But he picked the wrong time and chose to fight against the wrong king - Edward I, the Hammer of the Scots.
Edward moved north with the object of destroying the power of the rebellious family and captured the castle. There, for a few weeks, he stayed to receive the homage of the warring chiefs - and also enjoyed the hunting available in the vast surrounding forests.
The 19th century Elgin archaeologist and historian, Dr James Taylor, paints a picture of a king enjoying the delights of the banquet, feasting on the spoils of the hunt and surrounded by his nobles. And as the wine was passed around, minstrels sang of love, chivalry and war.
"This idyllic 19th century idea of the Middle Ages omits to mention the barbarity that went hand in hand with the idealism of the age of chivalry," says Leonella Longmore. "For those keen enough to row ever to the island itself, a search for the Water Pit Vault in the west wall might reveal a more realistic appreciation of life in medieval Scotland."
The Water Pit Vault descended to the level of the loch and had about three feet of water covering its paved bottom. Entry was by means of a narrow opening from an adjoining courtyard. Carousing spectators could look through a stone trapdoor and see the Pit's victims who had to be lowered down by means of a rope into the vault, there to stand, shiver and freeze thigh-deep in water - any other position leading to certain death by drowning.
Alexander Stewart, the Wolf of Badenoch, became one of Lochindorb's most famous, or infamous, residents. He was the fourth son of King Robert II and was granted the Lordship of Badenoch, and with it the castle, in 1371. Some say he was called the Wolf because of the animal that adorned his heraldic crest - a fitting emblem for a medieval terrorist, says Leonella Longmore.
She continues, "His wild exploits have fired the imagination of writers through the ages. Not all agree with the picture of the wolf as a 'half-human, half-bestial baron', depicted as being of huge stature, florid complexion and flowing jet black hair with beard to match. In usual epic fashion, he was always clad in bright armour, mounted on the obligatory black horse and surrounded by a bodyguard of well-armed spearman."
The Wolf , apparently, never saw eye-to-eye with the Bishop of Moray over lands owned by the church, and the tensions came to a head when he ditched his wife, Euphemia, Countess of Ross, for a lady by the name of Mariota Athyn. The Bishop pronounced in favour of the Countess and ordered the Wolf's new love out of the castle. But the Wolf took this rebuke to heart and started plundering church lands, so the Bishop promptly excommunicated him. A luckless monk, sent to inform the Wolf, was thrown head first into the Water Pit Vault.
The Wolf then went on the rampage and burnt the town of Forres. A few weeks later, he did the same to Elgin, destroying the town's beautiful cathedral and mansions belonging to the canons and chaplains, and which contained many priceless books, charters and documents.
The castle's turbulent span came to an end, ironically, not long after the island fortress was strengthened, in 1455. The work was carried out by Archibald Douglas, Earl of Moray, who was later killed in battle when he raised the standard of rebellion against James II of Scotland. For James saw the strength - and the danger - which Lochindorb represented, and had it demolished.
The grandeur of solitude that surrounds ancient castles in the Highlands is awesome, writes Leonella Longmore, in her book Land of Castles, published by the Inverness Courier newspaper. The book is an introduction to 16 lesser-known yet fascinating strongholds within easy driving distance of the Highland capital - ruinous and surviving castles not on the usual tourist trail.
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