A walk to Ardtornish Castle on the Sound of Mull

A walk · Lochaline

Ardtornish Castle – A Walk by the Sound of Mull

About 8.4 miles on foot.

Ardtornish Castle stands on a rocky headland jutting into the Sound of Mull, a little way south-east of the mouth of Loch Aline, the ruin of a stronghold of the Lords of the Isles.

The way to it from the Ardtornish estate is a long, easy walk on road and track, down the loch shore and out along the Sound, with the hills of Mull across the water.

Time: About four hours' walking, plus time at the castle.
The path: Road and track along the shore for 4.2 miles each way, then a narrower path onto the castle's rocky knoll.
Where to start: The free car park at Achranich, Ardtornish, where the walk starts.
When to go: Open to walkers; the estate asks walkers to keep to the tracks while the deer cull runs, from 1 July to 15 February.

The walk

The walk starts from the free car park at Achranich, by the estate's shop. The estate gives it as 8.4 miles on road and track and grades it easy. The way follows the east shore of Loch Aline under alder, hazel, oak and birch, with Lochaline and its Mull ferry across the water, then runs on beside the Sound of Mull.

Otters and white-tailed eagles are both possible. The castle is a hall-house on a rocky knoll at the end of its headland, probably built in the later 13th century, with walls about 2.7 metres thick. It was a seat of the Lords of the Isles until their fall in the 15th century, and the pact John MacDonald, Lord of the Isles, made with Edward IV of England in 1462 bears its name.

Bring a picnic to eat by its walls, looking down the Sound to Mull. The estate culls deer from 1 July to 15 February and asks walkers to keep to the tracks, as this walk does.

If it rains

The estate advises sensible footwear and waterproof clothing, and asks walkers to tell the Gift Shop before setting out on a long walk.

On the way

The carved stones at Kiel Church
Kiel Church stands on the hillside above Lochaline with a view over the Sound of Mull. In the little Old Session House beside it, a schoolhouse of 1780, a collection of carved grave slabs is kept under a roof, most of them from the 1300s to the 1500s, when the Lords of the Isles ruled these waters from the castle you have just walked to. Look for two-handed swords, hunting scenes and West Highland galleys. Park by the church; entry is free.