Kintyre | Argyll

Castles in Kintyre.

There are notable structures in Kintyre including cemetaries, forts and of course Castles. Several good examples are worth visiting.

Tarbert Castle

At the north part of Kintyre in the village of Tarbert is Tarbert Castle. The castle overlooks the harbour and Loch Fyne and marks a great vantage point.

Part of the keep remains, although this has a large covering of ivy over part of it. The stone walls are visible by shape, as are now covered with grass and undersoil netting to protect the shape and prevent any erosion. Some sections of wall can be seen at the lower part of the castle and you can identify that it would have, at one time covered a significant area with steep hills and cliffs at all sides.

It is written that in around 1306 Robert the Bruce passed through Kintyre and repairs were commissioned to the Castle sometime in 1325 with extensions also made as a part of the works.

A full and detailed account of Tarbert Castle can be found on the Tarbert Loch Fyne web site.

Skipness Castle

Probably the most magnificent castle ruin in the area is Skipness Castle, a 13th century fortress with superb views across to the north of Arran.

The castle has inner courtyards and information on what the other small rooms would have been. You can also go inside the keep and up on to the roof which offers stunning vistas across to Arran and demonstrates what a superb lookout and vantage point the castle held.

There is no charge to enter the castle.

Torrisdale Castle

Located just south of Carradale is Torrisdale Castle. Located on a privately owned 1500 acre estate, Torrisdale Castle is the home of the MacAlister-Hall family as it has been for a considerable amount of time.

The castle is a stunning building dating back to 1815, and is lived in permanently.

You can book self catering flat accommodation on a weekly basis at Torrisdale Castle and also you can rent one of five self catering cottages on the estate each with there own small garden.

Saddell Castle

On the same stretch of Kintyre, once more south of Carradale is Saddell Castle. The castle is unusual and overlooks the sandy beach of Saddell Bay.

Saddell Castle dates back to 1508 and was commissioned to be built by the Bishop or Argyll at that time using stone from the ruined abbey nearby.

The castle itself is inhabited, although the outbuildings are available to hire as self catering accommodation during the year.

Dunaverty Castle

At the southerly location of Dunaverty, a long time ago there was once a Castle that stood on Dunaverty Rock overlooking the sea to the south of Kintyre. Robert the Bruce is said to also have made his way here and the castle was the site of many battles. The fortress here was burnt to the ground in 1647 hence why there is no castle today, and the rock thereafter due to the bloodshed here is called Bloody Rock.

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