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Tarbert Castle's broken tower house on its grassy hill, a viewing platform at its foot.
Argyll and Bute

Tarbert Castle

The ruin of a royal castle on the hill above Tarbert harbour, first built in the 13th century, strengthened by Robert the Bruce from 1325 and given a tower house by James IV.

Welcome

On the green hill above Tarbert's harbour stand the broken walls of a royal castle, and the view from them takes in the whole village, the boats and the long reach of Loch Fyne.

There was a fort here as early as the eighth century, burned twice, according to the Annals of Ulster, in 712 and 731.

The first stone castle was raised in the 1200s, four ranges of buildings around a courtyard with a well. King Edward of England seized it, and in 1292 handed it to John Balliol. Then Robert the Bruce took it, and from 1325 he made it one of the great castles of the west, with an outer bailey, drum towers and a curtain wall to keep the Lords of the Isles in check. His accounts for the work survive, among the oldest documents in Scotland, and list a chapel, a brewhouse, workshops, houses and a hall.

The tall ruin standing today is the tower house James IV added in the late 1400s. A steep path climbs up from the village.

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The Daily for 30 October, from Scotland with love. Aerial view of a teal-coloured lochan cupped in a forested hollow, a scree slope rising on one side and autumn-tinged pines ringing the shore.
Round the cornerTarbert1 min by roadSee itTarbert
Before you go

The ruin stands open on the hill at all times, and is free.

A path climbs to it from the village.

Where
On the hill south of Tarbert harbour.
Getting up
A steep path from the village.

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Where it is

On the hill on the south side of Tarbert harbour, reached by a path from the village.

Close byTarbert.
  1. The Kyles of Bute from high above in warm evening light, the channel running past wooded islands, Colintraive and its ferry slip on the left, the green fields of Bute on the right and the hills far off under the clouds.Kyles of Bute ViewpointA roadside layby above Caladh Harbour on the A8003, looking out over the Kyles of Bute.10 miles as the crow flies
  2. Ruined stone tower house stands on grass beside the coastlineSkipness Castle13 miles 23 min by road
  3. Weathered gravestones surround a roofless ruined church beside a coastal baySkipness ChapelThe large, roofless medieval chapel on the shore at Skipness, built by the MacDonalds, with carved medieval grave slabs.13 miles 23 min by road
Directions
Fishing boats OB51 and ME moored in Tarbert harbour, waterfront buildings behindAttractionsTarbert0.2 miles
The lane through Kilfinan past the whitewashed hotel, a mossy stone wall alongside.AttractionsKilfinan Church and Stones12 miles

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Stay nearby

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

The Hollies, Argyll and ButeThe Hollies
  • Sleeps 18
  • In Tighnabruaich
  • 7 miles from Tarbert Castle
Check datesGlenstriven 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
  • 15 miles from Tarbert Castle
Free 1–3 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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