Skipness Castle
A great stone castle on the north-east shore of Kintyre, begun by the MacSweens in the early 1200s and later held by the MacDonalds and the Campbells.
At the very end of the road down the east side of Kintyre, Skipness Castle rises from the fields above the shore, looking straight across Kilbrannan Sound to Arran.
With Lochranza Castle on the far side, it watched over the passage between the two.
It was begun in the early 1200s, probably by the MacSween family, as a modest two-storey hall-house with a chapel to St Columba, among the earliest castle buildings in Scotland. Over the centuries it grew, passing to the MacDonalds in 1325 and later to the Campbell earls of Argyll, and its walls and tower show each stage of that story.
The castle is free to explore at any time. A path leads on to the old chapel by the shore, and there is a seafood cabin close by.
Open at all times, free.
- Begun
- Early 1200s.
- Built by
- The MacSweens.
- Later
- MacDonalds, then Campbells.
At Skipness, at the end of the B8001 south of Tarbert, PA29 6XT.
Places to stay near the castle, and when each is next free.
Scotland, in print.
Every photograph commissioned, every word written by somebody who went. Printed twice a year, made in Scotland.
For further reading, before you go.