Urquhart Castle's tower house stood intact until 1692, when departing government troops demolished it to deny Jacobite forces a stronghold. The ruin that remains — perched on a rocky promontory jutting into Loch Ness — draws half a million visitors annually, not for what survives but for what the site commands: 23 miles of dark water stretching northeast toward Inverness, flanked by slopes that plunge 750 feet to the loch floor. The fortress occupied this peninsula for eight centuries. Construction began in the 13th century atop earlier fortifications, expanding through the medieval period into a courtyard castle with curtain walls, a gatehouse, and the five-story Grant Tower that still anchors the site. Control changed hands repeatedly during the Wars of Scottish Independence — Edward I seized it in 1296, Robert the Bruce reclaimed it two decades later. By the 16th century, Clan Grant held the castle, defending it through religious wars and clan feuds until the Crown ordered its destruction. Today the 16-acre site includes the visitor center opened in 2002, built into the hillside to preserve sightlines. Exhibition galleries trace the castle's military history and display artifacts recovered during 20th-century excavations: medieval pottery, weaponry, a trebuchet ball. The ruins themselves remain roofless, their sandstone walls stabilized but unrestored. The Grant Tower's upper floors are accessible via a stone staircase, offering views across Drumnadrochit Bay and the Great Glen. Loch Ness holds more water than all lakes in England and Wales combined. Its depth and peat content render it nearly opaque, visibility dropping to zero within fifteen feet of the surface. These conditions — along with reported sightings dating to Saint Columba's 565 CE encounter — sustain the Loch Ness Monster mythology that shapes the region's tourism economy. Boat operators run hourly cruises from the castle jetty and Drumnadrochit village, most pairing the voyage with castle admission. The standard Loch Ness cruise and Urquhart Castle visit from Inverness departs the city center mid-morning, covering the 14-mile route along the A82 in under 30 minutes, with three hours allocated for the combined castle tour and water crossing before return transfer.