Rait Castle

Rait Castle is a little gem that is hidden behind trees at the end of a narrow farm track near Nairn.

We were on our way to visit the Clava Cairns, and as a lover of castles, I thought we would make the short detour. I'm so glad that we did, as this place is rather special.

Technically speaking, Rait Castle is a hall-house which was built in the late 13th or early 14th century. The main structure was surrounded by outbuildings including a kitchen and a chapel, within a walled courtyard.

The castle was built by the de Raits, who were part of the Comyn family. The Comyns were big players in this area at the time.

In the 1300s, Sir Andrew de Rait and Sir Gervase de Rait, who were known supporters of Edward I during the First War of Independence, lived around here. It's possible that they or their family were responsible in the castle's construction.

Part of the north-east wall is missing, allowing us to get inside and explore.

The sandstone hall-house measures 16m by 6.7m and is 11m tall with just under 2m thick walls. It had two storeys with an unvaulted basement which was used for storage, and an upper hall that was accessed by an external staircase on the south wall.

The kitchen and a chapel were housed in one of the buildings that are scattered within the courtyard.

Be careful when investigating the uneven ground around the castle. It is difficult to identify each of the buildings amongst the ruins, but one is certainly the Chapel of St Mary of Rait, otherwise known as the Hermit's Chapel. Records show a chapel here dating from 1189, and it is said that in 1343 a hermit called Nicholas occupied the chapel.

Other ancillary buildings, including the kitchen, are among the ruins and would have been largely timber structures which were located within the walled courtyard.

The hall was lit by beautiful lancet windows and heated by a single fireplace, which is at the west end of the south wall (to the right of the picture above).

The first floor of the hall-house could have been divided either into a hall and chamber, or the whole floor could consist of a hall with the laird's accommodation housed in the round tower.

The round tower can be found in the southern corner of the ruin and is worth exploring.

It has a corbelled domed ceiling, which I was delighted to see was still there, and the same beautiful upper windows as in the hall.

While the de Raits sided with Edward I of England, the Mackintoshes sided with Robert the Bruce. This led to a conflict between the neighbouring families.

In 1442 it all came to a head, when de Raits hosted a feast celebrating a truce between the families. However, it was all a cunning plan, and the intention of de Raits was to kill the Mackintoshes rather than feed them! The plan was foiled when a daughter of de Raits let it slip to her Mackintosh beau, and as a result most of the de Raits came a cropper and the castle and lands passed to the Mackintoshes.

De Rait blamed his daughter for the slaughter and chased her around the castle until she clambered out of a window to escape him, but not before her father cut off her hands and she fell to her death. There have been many sightings of her ghost over the years; thankfully she wasn't around during my visit.

The entrance is on the south-east wall and is pictured above on the right. The entrance would have been protected by a heavy timber portcullis door.

From the rear of the castle, you get a better view of the circular tower and the garderobe (toilet) tower on the west that juts out by nearly 4m and is 2.5m wide.

The castle passed from the Mackintoshes to the Campbells at some point, and the last recorded reference to the castle was in 1596.

Please keep in mind that access to the castle is at the end of a narrow farm track with parking for only one car. You may need to consider parking further down the lane or on the B9101 and walking up.

Once at the end of the track, there is a grassy path that cuts through the shrubs and leads to the castle.

Don't forget to take in the views from the castle. On a clear day, you can see over the Moray Firth to the cliffs of Cromarty and Balintore.

Rait Castle is designated a Scheduled Monument with Historic Environment Scotland.