Hidden Scotland
Sign in

Castles
in Argyll and Bute.

It’s 20:07 in Argyll and Bute.
Argyll and Bute

Clan seats on the water.

Argyll is clan country, and its castles stand at the water's edge. There's a tower on a tidal islet in Loch Laich, the Campbells' castle at the head of Loch Awe, and the seat of the Macleans on a rocky point over the Sound of Mull. The Dukes of Argyll still live in their Gothic Revival castle at Inveraray, and the Stewarts' round, moated castle stands in the middle of Rothesay. Many more lie in ruins on headlands and islands.

Tarbert Castle→
Duntrune Castle→
Carnasserie Castle→
Dunollie Castle→
Dunyvaig Castle→
Kilchurn Castle→
Dunstaffnage Castle→
Inveraray Castle→
Old Castle Lachlan→
Finlaggan Castle→
Gylen Castle→
Castle Stalker→
Lunch19 hours agoArgyll and ButeThe Bothy at Kilbride Farm – Home of Legendary Cakes5.9 milesArgyll and ButeWild Kitchen Argyll – Coffee & Cakes with a View6.6 milesArgyll and ButeTide & Thyme – Local Bistro Dining in Kames6.7 miles

Lunch near Tarbert Castle.

The three good places closest to it: The Bothy at Kilbride Farm – Home of Legendary Cakes, Wild Kitchen Argyll – Coffee & Cakes with a View and Tide & Thyme – Local Bistro Dining in Kames.

See Tarbert Castle
From our guide18 hours ago

Old Castle Lachlan.

The remains of this 15th-century fortress perch on a headland overlooking Lachlan Bay, east of Loch Fyne, where rambling countryside is crisscrossed by spectacular coastal paths. It’s close to Kilmorie Chapel, one of the few remaining medieval church buildings in the west of Scotland, and the new Castle Lachlan, a Scottish baronial affair that offers self-catering accommodation.

See the place
Did you know17 hours ago

When the bishop who built Carnasserie died, his coffin was carried twenty-three miles in bad weather to be buried.

John Carswell died at a great age in 1572. He had divided opinion locally: he had taken the new church's side at the Reformation, and a good deal of the old church's property with it. But enough people thought well of him to shoulder his coffin the twenty-three miles from here to Ardchattan Priory, in weather that made the journey worth recording. The path in this film climbs from the road to the castle door. His went the other way.

See Carnasserie Castle · Argyll and Bute
Did you know16 hours agoGraeme JohncockWritten byGraeme JohncockMore from Graeme

Graeme Johncock, who travels Scotland for our series, fitted a broch, a cathedral and a castle into a single day on the island of Lismore, off Oban.

‘The next day took me to Lismore, a longer ferry ride but almost equally overlooked. It was once one of the most important religious sites in Scotland, established by St Moluag and at the centre of busy shipping lanes. In one day I managed to hike to an Iron Age broch, explore the Cathedral of Argyll, climb into a ruined castle on the coast and visit the Gaelic heritage centre.’

Graeme JohncockWritten byGraeme JohncockMore from GraemeRead the full story
Stay15 hours agoArgyll and ButeThe Drury4.2 milesArgyll and ButeGlencruitten House5.1 milesIsle of MullFern Cottage6.2 miles

Stay near Gylen Castle.

The three good places closest to it: The Drury, Glencruitten House and Fern Cottage.

See Gylen Castle
From the magazine14 hours agoThe printed copy of Issue 10Issue 10Spring / Summer 2025

Stef Burgon and Simon Hunt spotted Kilmartin Castle, a 16th-century castle in Argyll, in an advert while living 3,700 miles away under a blistering Middle Eastern sun.

The couple sent Stef's parents on an eight-hour road trip to view it, and in 2018 they swapped the desert heat for Scottish mizzle, a fine misty drizzle. They spent their first year living in a campervan, working as 'apprentice builders' to put in heating and plumbing and fix the leaks. Today guests can stay in five ensuite bedrooms, one of them reached by a secret spiral staircase, and walk from the castle to the Temple Wood stone circle in a glen full of ancient monuments. Next, the couple are turning an old church nearby into a gallery for the artists who come on residencies at the castle.

Read the full story in Issue 10
From our guide13 hours ago

Kilchurn Castle.

The stacked remains of this 15th-century former powerbase of Clan Campbell are reflected in Loch Awe, around them the Arrochar Alps with their mighty flanks of light and shade. It’s certainly Scotland’s most photogenic castle, but it also packs a punch for historical interest: it held troops after the first Jacobite Rising in 1689, was a garrison in the Jacobite Rising in 1745, and contains the oldest surviving barracks on the British mainland.

See the place
From our guide12 hours ago

Mount Stuart.

This 19th-century manor house on Bute, home to the Stuarts of Bute, is a vision of Victorian Gothic architecture in red sandstone, elaborate arches and spiky turrets. Every nook and cranny is exquisite – from larger masterpieces such as astronomy-inspired stained glass windows and a map of the stars on the Marble Hall ceiling to squirrels munching acorns in the wooden trim around the dining room. It reflects the Third Marquess of Bute’s interest in astrology, astronomy, mysticism and religion, and contains a casket that was used to transport his heart to the Holy Lands. They say that the keys to the casket were returned to his wife so she would have "the keys to his heart". It was the first house in Scotland to have electric lights, an indoor swimming pool and a telephone, and the 300 acres of grounds are a luscious encyclopedia of unusual trees and plants from across the world.

See the place
From our guide11 hours ago

Duntrune Castle.

The ancient kingdom of Dalriada encircles this restored 12th-century castle, which occupies a scenic lookout on a rocky promontory into Loch Crinan. It has been the home of the Malcolm family since the late 1700s, and now offers holiday accommodation, making an idyllic base for walking, visiting Kilmartin Glen, fishing or even deer stalking.

See the place
Castles10 hours ago

Dunollie Castle.

The MacDougalls' ruined castle on a hillside above Oban, with views to Kerrera and the isles on a clear day, and a museum in the 1745 House.

See the place
Did you know10 hours ago

Carnasserie Castle was built at the point where a Scottish castle stopped being a tower and became a house.

The older plan kept the two apart: a lord's tower to live and hold out in, and a great hall alongside it for everything else. Carnasserie fuses the two into one building, and that is what you are walking through here: stairs, arched doorways and rooms that run together rather than a keep with a hall stuck beside it. Nobody was taking chances, mind. There is a parapet walk round the top, corbelled turrets at the angles, and gun-loops and pistol holes set about the building.

See Carnasserie Castle · Argyll and Bute
Castle of the day9 hours ago

Duart Castle.

The seat of the Clan Maclean on a rocky point over the Sound of Mull, a medieval keep restored from ruin after 1911.

Read about it