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Caisteal Maol - or as in English called Castle Moil is situated on a small promontory on the Isle of Skye heading towards the mainland opposite Caol Loch Aillse (Kyle of Lochalsh).
It was built bySaucy Mary, wife of a MacDonald in the 12th century. Being a Norwegian princess, I presume, she was the wife of either Rögnvald or his brother Dugald or Angus. She had a chain running from Maol to Caol Loch Aillse thus controlling the sea passage and extracting toll from every ship that passed through the Kyles.
In 1513 chiefs met here to restore the Lordship of the Isles, previously forfeited in 1493. Donald Dubh MacDonald was the heir of the last Lord of the Isles and he was even supported by Alasdair Crotach MacLeod of Dunvegan.
The main wall of the ruin was - though 11 feet thick - cracked in a
storm on 1 February 1948 but the castle ruin still stands to be seen from
the opposing town. Until 1995 it was possible to take the ferry from Caol
Loch Aillse to Caol Akin and pass the castle very nearly, but since in
1995 the Skye bridge
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- the most expensive toll bridge in all over Europe - was opened access
from the sea is only possible taking one of the tours offered from Caol,
e. g. the glass bottom boat.
Caol Akin (Kyleakin, meaning Haco's strait) opposite the Kyle of Lochalsh (Caol Loch Aillse) takes his name from King Hakon of Norway, who anchored here in 1263 before his heavy defeat at the Battle of Largs and his subsequent death at Kirkwall. Due to the Skye Bridge, Caol Akin and Caol Loch Aillse have nowadays lost their importance for road traffic, no ferry crossing to Skye from here any longer, just one very small ferry remaining from Glenelg to Kylerhea. Still there is a railway line directly from Caol Loch Aillse to Inverness.
some Clans and their history |
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| Stewart | Bruce | Macdonald | Campbell | Macleod | Wallace | Mackenzie |
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| Macrae | Douglas | Sutherland | Murray | Maclean | MacGregor | |
