The castle was built by an English architect (Image: Google Maps)
has a wonderful and large inventory of magnificent castles, that make great places to visit on a day trip.
The majority were built many centuries ago and provide an insight into the continent’s complex and fascinating history.
They were designed primarily as defensive structures to withstand invasions and attacks with their thick walls, towers and strategic locations.
But they were also the residences to many of nobility and came to be as much about status as they were about war.
often symbolised the power and the authority of the lord or monarch who owned them – so the bigger, the better – but there is one that bucks this trend and whose construction has remained somewhat of a mystery.
Achmelvich in Scotland is renowned for its sublime coastal scenery (Image: Google Maps)
Achmelvich in is renowned for its sublime coastal scenery and inland views of the summit of Suilven.
Located just three miles north-west of Lochinver, it is an idyllic place of white sands and turquoise seas.
It is here that the visitor will come across Hermit’s Castle, built in 1950 by an English architect.
The has been described as the world’s smallest, standing at just two metres tall and gives the impression of a tiny coastal fortress.
A view of the inside of the castle (Image: Google Maps)
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However, it would probably be more accurate to describe the castle as a concrete bothy, a basic shelter open to use by the public.
The entrance to the construction is tall and narrow and leads to single room with a bed platform, hearth, storage shelves, chimney and tiny windows.
The glass window and door have been removed and the inside is graffitied but clean.
It is possible to scramble to the top of the tiny fortress, from where great views of the sea open up.
The was the brainchild of David Scott – an architect from Norwich, who single-handedly built it in six months.
He brought in material for the castle’s construction on a boat. However it has never been established why he wanted to build the castle.
The architect spent just one weekend at his fortress, before leaving and never returning.
One theory as to why he never lived there is that he did not get the necessary planning permission for the build.