Castles
in Loch Lomond and the Trossachs.

It’s 21:00 over Loch Lomond.

Loch Lomond

A Gothic house and a volcanic rock.

The castles here stand at the southern end of the loch, where the River Leven runs down to the Clyde. At Balloch, a Gothic house of the early 1800s sits in a country park of woods, lawns and gardens above Loch Lomond, with a walled garden and fairy houses carved into old stumps in a glen. Downriver, Dumbarton's fortress climbs a twin-peaked volcanic rock that Vikings besieged in 870, and where the young Mary, Queen of Scots sheltered before sailing for France. Wear good shoes for Dumbarton, as the way up is long flights of old steps.

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From our guide16 hours ago

Loch Iubhair & Loch Dochart.

Loch Iubhair and Loch Dochart are two small lochs strung along the River Dochart, just east of Crianlarich, with the Crianlarich hills rising all around. Dorothy Wordsworth called it a place of retirement and peace, and it still is. On a little island in Loch Dochart stand the ruins of Loch Dochart Castle, a tower house built by Sir Duncan Campbell of Glenorchy around the turn of the 1600s. It was burned in 1646, during the civil wars, and never rebuilt. A walk from a roadside car park near Ledcharrie Farm gives the best view of the ruin on its island.

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Castle of the day12 hours ago

Dumbarton Castle.

The fortress on the volcanic rock above the Clyde, besieged by Vikings in 870 and a refuge for Mary Queen of Scots.

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Did you know7 hours ago

Luss, on Loch Lomond, was rebuilt in the early 1800s partly to house slate quarry workers.

The Colquhouns, the local landowners who lived at nearby Rossdhu Castle, rebuilt much of the village in the early 1800s. It was partly to house the workers for the nearby slate quarries. Slate no longer features in the local economy.