Castle Urquhart stands on a promontory overlooking the water. The most inaccessible as well as one of the largest castles in Scotland, it dates to the 12th century, and its commanding position in the Great Glen gave it tremendous strategic importance. It was destroyed in 1692 by government troops to keep it out of Jacobite hands. There is limited parking at the castle, and Scottish guidebooks suggest that tourists park in the village and walk the few miles to the site. A proposal to build a new visitor center and car park into the side of the hill is controversial, for it seems the local merchants fear the loss of business the new center would present.