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Argyll and Bute

Carrick Castle

A 15th-century Campbell tower house at the water's edge on Loch Goil, its walls reflected in the loch.

Welcome

Carrick Castle is a tall, roofless tower house on the western shore of Loch Goil, in Cowal, standing right at the water's edge so that on a still day its grey walls are doubled in the loch, with the hills rising steeply behind.

It was built around the middle of the 15th century and became a seat of the Campbells of Argyll, a clan then rising to great power in Scotland.

It is a classic tower house, four storeys high and rectangular, with thick stone walls and narrow windows. Mary, Queen of Scots is believed to have stayed here in the 1500s, and in the 1600s the castle was badly damaged by Cromwell's forces. It is privately owned and the inside is not open, but it is best seen from the shore by the village or from the water, and there are good walks round about: a path of eleven kilometres runs along the loch shore between Carrick Castle and Ardentinny beach.

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The Daily for 9 November, from Scotland with love. an autumn-wooded loch reflected in still water, rocks breaking the surface in the foreground
Not farCastle Hill, Dunoon11 milesSee itCastle Hill, Dunoon

Before you go

The castle is privately owned and not open inside; it is seen from the shore at Carrick Castle village and from the loch.

Where
Carrick Castle, Loch Goil, Cowal.
Inside
Not open; private.

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Where it is

Loch Goil, Cowal.

Close byOn Loch Goil.
  1. Loch Goil between steep, wooded hills.Loch GoilA small, fjord-like sea loch in the national park, reached by a single-track road from the Rest and Be Thankful.2 miles 5 min by road
  2. A coffee on a timber table at the Boat Shed.The Boat Shed CaféA small café in the boat shed at Loch Goil Cruisers, Lochgoilhead, with home baking and feeders for red squirrels outside the window.3 miles 8 min by road
  3. St Munn's Church at Kilmun in sunshine, its square tower and tall windows above the sloping churchyard and its stone wall, the ruined medieval tower beside it and the wooded hill behind.Historic KilmunThe old church of Kilmun on the Holy Loch, open for guided tours from April to the start of November.8 miles as the crow flies
  4. Loch Long at Blairmore under a blue sky of high cloud, the white rails of Blairmore Pier and its Saltire on the left and the far shore low across the water.The BlairmoreA mother and daughter café for breakfasts, light lunches, home baking and Loch Fyne Ales.8 miles as the crow flies
  5. Beinn NarnainA Munro of 927 metres in the Arrochar Alps above the head of Loch Long, climbed from the Succoth car park near Arrochar.9 miles as the crow flies
  6. A walker on Ardentinny Beach under the trees.Ardentinny BeachThe longest beach on the Cowal peninsula, on Loch Long, backed by forest, with a shore path to Carrick Castle.30 miles 53 min by road
Directions
A stone cottage with a slated roof sits nestled among dense woodland, two paddleboards resting on the lawn in front.LochgoilheadRed Squirrel CottageSleeps 6 · 3.0 miles
Seal Cabin, Argyll and ButeLochgoilheadSeal CabinSleeps 2 · 3.0 miles
The Tinkers' Heart, white quartz pebbles set in a heart in the old road surface.AttractionsTinkers’ Heart11 miles
AttractionsBeinn Ime12 miles
Walkers descend a rocky hillside path beside a tumbling burnAttractionsThe Cobbler12 miles
A dark timber cabin with a pitched metal roof stands among ferns and birch trees.CairndowKabnSleeps 2 · 13 miles

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Stay nearby

Places to stay near the castle, and when each is next free.

A stone cottage with a slated roof sits nestled among dense woodland, two paddleboards resting on the lawn in front.Red Squirrel Cottage
  • Sleeps 6
  • In Lochgoilhead
  • 3 miles from Carrick Castle
Check datesSeal Cabin, Argyll and ButeSeal Cabin
  • Sleeps 2
  • In Lochgoilhead
  • 3 miles from Carrick Castle
Check datesA dark timber cabin with a pitched metal roof stands among ferns and birch trees.Kabn
  • Sleeps 2
  • In Cairndow
  • 10 miles from Carrick Castle
Free 17–19 NovGlenstriven House, a white Victorian house with grey stone corners, at the top of a gravel drive between lawns, with a wooded hill behind.Glenstriven House
  • Sleeps 15
  • In Argyll and Bute
  • 13 miles from Carrick Castle
Free 10–12 NovPlaces to stayEvery stay in Argyll and ButeAll our places to stay nearby, to search by date and by who is coming.See them all
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