Cadzow Castle
Cadzow Castle is a romantic ruin in the Hamilton High Parks above a gorge of the River Avon in South Lanarkshire, a stronghold of the powerful Hamilton family that served as a rallying point for Mary Queen of Scots following her abdication before being destroyed in 1579 by Regent Moray's forces. The ruins of the great rectangular tower and courtyard walls are engulfed by the ancient oak woodland of the High Parks, creating one of the most atmospherically beautiful castle settings in Lanarkshire. The High Parks are also home to the White Cattle of Cadzow, a small herd of primitive semi-wild cattle that have grazed this landscape for centuries and are among the last survivors of the ancient wild cattle of Britain, making Hamilton High Parks one of the most distinctive heritage landscapes in Lanarkshire.