The Scottish flag flying high on a flagpole over the remains of Urquhart Castle in the Scottish Highlands. In the background is the water of Loch Ness, the largest lake in Scotland. One of the most beautiful castles in Scotland is Urquhart Castle, especially because of its setting with the greenery and also because of Loch Ness. It is located on the shore of Loch Ness, in the Inverness region, along the A82. Though the castle is a high state of ruin, it was a powerful castle in its time, with the earliest account of some structure from the 6th century, mentioned in accounts of St. Columba. There is no definite dating of the time of the origin, although some radiocarbon datings show evidence of some settlement even in the 5th century. Records show the existence of a castle in the 13th century and played its part in the battle between the English and the Scots. The final destruction of the castle happend in the year 1692 during the battle against the Jacobite forces. It was never re-constructed after that, but remains a high profile tourist attraction.