Duffus Castle is one of the finest examples of a motte and bailey castle in Scotland. The raised ground of the motte and bailey look somewhat out of place sitting like an island in a sea of very flat farmland, but at the time of its construction its position was far more strategic. The castle was located by the shore of Loch Spynie and was surrounded by water and marshy ground. Over the years the loch silted up and was eventually drained and reclaimed as farmland, creating the flat landscape that now surrounds the castle.