Dumbarton Castle

Of all the Scottish strongholds, Dumbarton Castle has the most history that has been documented. It is perched atop the 73-meter-tall Dumbarton Rock, a piece of volcanic basalt that juts out above the Scottish town of Dumbarton. Known then as "Alt Clut" or "Rock of the Clyde," Dumbarton Rock first appears in writing in the fifth century. At the same time, a massive fortification occupied the site, which later became the Strathclyde region's capital.

Later, it was given the name Dun Breatann, which means "Fortress of the Britons" in Gaelic. Dunbarton is derived from this name. The enormous Dark Age stronghold would have provided protection from the region's ongoing Viking invasions, such as the one launched in 870 by Viking monarchs Olaf and Ivar of Dublin, which resulted in the River Clyde being filled with 200 longships.

Today, there are no longer any signs of the 1st-century bastion, allowing tourists to only speculate about what must have been an intriguing Dark Age fortification. The Portcullis Arch from the 14th century, the Wallace Tower's foundations, and possibly even the White Tower's foundations are some of its remaining medieval elements. The site also has a guard house from the 16th century, where a carved face believed to be that of Sir John Menteith, the person who betrayed William Wallace, is located. However, Dumbarton was reconstructed as a garrisoned fort in the 17th and 18th centuries, which is when the majority of what is seen there now was built.