Castles
in Lochaber.

It’s 01:43 in Lochaber.

Lochaber

Tidal islands and rock stacks.

Lochaber's castles are ruins now, and they are a pleasure to see from the outside. In Moidart, the old Clanranald stronghold stands on a small wooded island where the River Shiel meets Loch Moidart, joined to the shore by a sandy causeway. It was set alight in 1715, and the inside is closed, but the walk out to the foot of its walls is lovely. On Canna, a little fort clings to a rock stack above the harbour, where Marion MacLeod is said to have been held. The tower above Loch Oich and the castle by the River Lochy are both closed. Check the tide before you cross the causeway.

Old Inverlochy Castle→

Castle Tioram→

Coroghon Castle→

Castle of the dayJust now

Castle Tioram.

A ruined castle of the Clanranald on a tidal island in Loch Moidart, reached across a sandy causeway, with the interior closed as unsafe.

Read about it

From the magazineJust now

Issue 09Autumn / Winter 2024-25

The Bullough family's mausoleum on the Isle of Rum was built like a Doric temple to replace their first one, which was criticised for looking like a public toilet.

The Bulloughs left a big mark on Rum, the largest of the Small Isles. Kinloch Castle, a turreted sandstone mansion, was built at the end of the 19th century for Sir George Bullough, whose father John, a wealthy Lancashire mill owner, had bought the island. It survives as an eccentric time capsule of Edwardian life. When the family's first mausoleum drew unkind comparisons, a grander one with columns took its place. On an island where nature feels raw and huge, its over-the-top splendour makes a most surprising sight. Rum is one of the best car-free trips in Scotland: take the train to Mallaig, then the ferry.

Read the full story in Issue 09

LunchJust now

Fort WilliamThe Wildcat1.5 miles

Argyll and ButeCrannog at Garrison West1.6 miles

Fort WilliamLime Tree Hotel1.8 miles

Lunch near Old Inverlochy Castle.

The three good places closest to it: The Wildcat, Crannog at Garrison West and Lime Tree Hotel.

See Old Inverlochy Castle

CastlesJust now

Coroghon Castle.

A ruined fort on a rock stack above Canna harbour, where Marion MacLeod is said to have been imprisoned.

See the place

True or falseJust now

True or false: the castle that played Hogwarts in the first two Harry Potter films is in England, not Scotland.

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