Auldwick Castle

Old Wick Castle, also known as Castle Oliphant, is a historic castle located in Caithness, Scotland. It was originally built in the mid-12th century as a fortress for Haraald Madasson, the Norse Earl of Caithness. In the early 14th century, it was a stronghold in the possession of Sir Reginald Cheyne. The castle then passed through the Sutherland family and eventually to the Oliphant family, who were given the land in order to protect the Caithness lands from attackers. In the 15th century, Old Wick Castle was besieged and eventually sold to the Sinclair Earls of Caithness in 1606. The Sinclairs then sold the castle to the Campbells of Glenorchy in the 1670s, who later sold it to the Dunbar family of Hemprigg. The castle was abandoned in 1910 and is now known as the site of the Oliphant Leap, a tale of bravery still told in Caithness.