Knock Castle – A Ruin by the Sea and Afternoon Tea at Duisdale
A day.
The route
A short walk on the east coast of Sleat leads out to Knock Castle, Caisteal Chamuis, the broken walls of a MacLeod and then MacDonald stronghold on a headland above Knock Bay.
Then it's a few miles up the road to Duisdale for afternoon tea.
Before you go
Book accommodation nearby
If you are staying over: here are ours nearest where the day starts and ends.
Book Afternoon tea at Duisdale House
Book afternoon tea at Duisdale House at least 24 hours ahead, by phone on 01470 373737 or through the hotel's afternoon tea page.
The day
Sleat
A walk out to a ruined castle on the cliffs above Knock Bay, with the Sound of Sleat beyond it, then a slow afternoon tea at Duisdale, a few miles north on the same road.
About 1 mile on foot
Knock Castle
An attraction
The castle has no car park of its own: ask at Torabhaig Distillery, its neighbour on the A851, before leaving the car there, or park in Teangue, about half a mile further. From the distillery it's a short walk of about half a mile, by a track and a grassy slope to the headland. Caisteal Chamuis, the castle of the bay, was a MacLeod stronghold by 1402, before the MacDonalds took Sleat. In 1596 a royal charter confirmed Donald Gorm Mòr MacDonald in Sleat on condition that the castle be kept ready for the king, who never came to live in it. What's left are ivy-hung walls along the cliff edge. The walls are unstable and the drops sheer, so look from outside them. Torabhaig's own steading was built in 1820 with stone taken from the castle.
About 10 min by car
Duisdale House
Afternoon tea
Duisdale is a Victorian mansion, now a hotel, on the A851, with the mountains of Knoydart across the Sound of Sleat. Afternoon tea comes on a platter of sandwiches, savouries and cakes, in the lounge or the conservatory.
If it rains
The walk to the castle is out in the open, so bring waterproofs and good shoes; afternoon tea is indoors.
An Crùbh, community café on Sleat.
Make it a weekend
