Old Castle Lachlan – A Ruin and a Chapel on Loch Fyne
Old Castle Lachlan stands roofless on a point of rock at the edge of Lachlan Bay, on the quiet east shore of Loch Fyne.
A signed path leads to it from Inver restaurant, over a curved wooden footbridge and round the head of the bay, by way of the old chapel where the Maclachlan chiefs are buried. It's a level walk of about an hour.
- Time
- About an hour, the Lachlan Trust's own figure: a level path from Inver round the bay to the castle and back.
- The path
- Level, on a boardwalk, a footbridge and a farm track, with gates to open and close. The track beyond the castle is overgrown.
- Where to start
- The car park at Inver restaurant, at the head of Lachlan Bay on the B8000, about six miles south of Strachur.
- When to go
- All year in daylight. Inver serves lunch on Friday, Saturday and Sunday from April to October, and on Saturday and Sunday in March, November and December.
- Dogs
- On a lead: the path crosses private farmland.
- Children
- Short and level, with a bridge and a ruined castle. The Trust prints a Children's Explorer Trail leaflet.
- Before you set out
- The bay is tidal: keep to the boardwalk and the track.
The walk
Park at Inver, the restaurant at the head of Lachlan Bay, about six miles south of Strachur on the single-track B8000. The Lachlan Trust looks after the old buildings of the Maclachlan clan and built the paths here, and it points walkers to the car park at Inver. Its signed path to the castle starts beside the restaurant, and the Trust allows about an hour for the walk. It's level and easy, on a boardwalk along the edge of the bay, over a curved wooden footbridge across the river and then on an old farm track. Close the gates behind you.
On the way is Kilmorie Chapel, one of the last medieval church buildings in the west of Scotland, where the Maclachlan chiefs have been buried since the 15th century. The castle stands at the far side of the bay, on a spit of rock at the water's edge. It dates from the 15th century, a curtain wall with a single small door. The Maclachlans were Jacobites, and their chief was killed at Culloden. The story goes that his horse came home without him, swimming the loch, and the castle has stood empty ever since.
The bay is tidal and the ground beside the path is wet, so keep to the boardwalk and the track. The land is private and farmed, so keep a dog on a lead. Inver is a seafood restaurant people travel a long way for, not a café, and you need to book a table on its website. It serves lunch from noon to 2pm, on Friday, Saturday and Sunday from April to October and on Saturday and Sunday in March, November and December.
If it rains
A level hour that goes well enough in a waterproof, though the bay is open to the wind off the loch and there's no shelter at the castle.
Before you go
Book accommodation nearby
If you are staying over: here are ours nearest where the day starts and ends.
Book a table at Inver on its website.
Where to eat
Inver, Strathlachlan, a restaurant in Cairndow.
For further reading, before you go.