Knock Castle Ballater

Knock Castle is a ruined tower on the top of a prominent hill just outside Ballater. The access is via a farm track and there is no formal parking area, so permission should be sought from the farm before driving to it, although pedestrian access is fine. The tower is a shell but intact to the wallhead, and has been stabilised since I took the photo, so no scaffolding.

Knock was granted to the Gordon earl of Huntly in 1460, and passed amongst several lines of Gordons, most of whom leased the lands from the earl, and it may be that Knock was subleased from the Gordons of Abergeldie. All that can be said with certainty is that Knock is definitely a Gordon tower of the latter 16th century. The subsequent history is unknown, and it was probably abandoned or burned out during the Covenanting or Jacobite periods. It is maintained by Historic Environment Scotland.

HES Canmore database entry