Kaistel Maol: a ruined Viking citadel on the Isle of Skye (11 photos + 1 video)
Amid the rugged landscape of Scotland's Isle of Skye rise the grim ruins of Caistel Maol, a castle whose name translates from Gaelic as "naked fortress." 
These ancient remains, like fangs embedded in a rocky headland, have stood guard over the Caillacine Sound for centuries, separating the island from mainland Scotland. 
Although the surviving fragments of the fortress date back to the late 15th century, the first fortifications on this site may have appeared as early as the 9th century. They were built by the Vikings. According to one legend, in the 10th century the castle was owned by a Norwegian princess nicknamed Daring Mary. Having married the chief of the Mackinnon clan, she included the fortress in her dowry. They say that the newlyweds blocked the strait with a chain and charged tolls from passing ships. 
Later, in 1263, King Haakon IV of Norway used these waters to assemble his fleet before the Battle of Largs. 
The Mackinnon clan owned the castle until the early 17th century, when cold drafts and the discomfort of living within the ancient walls forced them to abandon the citadel. Since then, time and weather have been inexorably destroying the building. The storms of 1949 and 1989, and a lightning strike in 2018, caused particularly heavy damage. 
Today, to see the remains of Caistel Maol, you have to wait until low tide and make the short climb up the hill. From the top, you can see the harbour, the village of Caillakin, the Skye Bridge and the Scottish coastline, all silent witnesses to a history that began with the Vikings and ended in ruins. 
