Castle Leod (4)
There is a wide range of opinions on the origins of the Mackenzies.  I'm not going to get into that, particularly as it was all long before this castle stood here.  I will just mention though, that the castle's website mentions that there had previously been a Pictish fort here and that it was replaced by Norsemen that settled here, with a stone-built keep in the eleventh century, by Liotr or Leod or by his kinsman, Jarl Olaf. Both the hill behind the castle (Knock Aulaidh or Olaf’s Hill) and the current golf course (Ulladale or Olaf’s Dale) are reminders of the Norse presence around here.
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