While researching our September trip, either Dana or I came across a reference for Kilchurn (pronounced "kill kern" with the accent on kill) Castle, an "ancient Campbell stronghold." It's visible on Google Maps on the A85 highway between Oban and Tyndrum on the shore of Loch Awe, and since we were planning to go that way we thought we'd stop and take a look.
The castle is shown on the maps at one end of Loch Awe, which we drove along for quite a while on the way - narrow, dark water with beautiful tall hills on either side of the valley. We reached the point where the map showed it should be and expected to see a sign, but must have missed it. We went back and looked more carefully - nope, no sign. Hmm. There was a side road just ahead and we took it, thinking maybe the access was that way.
Umm, nope, no access or sign here either. But we reached a point where we could see through the trees and there it was, a kilometer away, across fields and water and fences. There was a small pull-off, and there was a stair built over the fence. I was pretty sure this must be the way to access the place, but we couldn't tell how to get there, even though we had clear line of sight to the castle. Dana was pretty sure this couldn't be it, so we got back in the car and went back the way we came.
Back on the main road and going slowly now that we knew where this place was, I spotted just a small gravel road in about the right place and said, let's try this.We pulled off onto a very rough lane, full of deep ruts, but after a few hundred meters we came to a car park with half a dozen cars and a small bus. This must be the place! At the end of the parking area was a simple sign that said, essentially, enjoy the sights, clean up after yourself, close the gates behind you, and stay off the train tracks! (I love Scotland!) That was all the invitation we needed and headed down the path.
Of course, I'm not a flower guy so I have no idea what these are, but it was a beautiful path through this wooded area and these lovely flowering bushes. Here's a closeup if someone can identify this flora.
Another hundred meters through the trees and we came out next to a stream leading into the loch, with a train bridge going over it. Since we weren’t supposed to go over the track, we went under the bridge and I saw a nice spot for a photo. It was a totally overcast day, some might call it gloomy, but I think I imaged pretty well what I saw.
On past the tracks and through a gate built to keep the sheep in, not the people out, and we saw the castle ahead across a pasture. We later learned that the castle used to be on a small island, but a decade ago they lowered the water level on the loch so now it is accessible by foot. All in all I think it was about 1.5 km hike in from the car park – an easy stroll on a lovely cool day. This was not like Castle Campbell, which was restored 60 some years ago – this place has stood alone for centuries and the wear was immediately apparent.
Still, we could see people high on the walls so we hoped for a good view and trekked on. Despite the age, the lower walls are in good shape even though the upper floors have suffered. Yes, this was at least 3 stories tall, gauging from the windows high off the ground and the indents in the inside walls meant to hold beams to support the upper floors. These structures were some seriously engineered places, meant to withstand the test of time, or a determined enemy. The lintel stone over the doorway attests to the durability.
This 15th century castle was home to Campbells of Glenorchy, and was a magnificent structure at its height. Surrounded by water on a rocky outcrop it would have been a safe and secure location. Time has taken its toll, though. Still, it was a magical place to visit. Like Castle Campbell, you can climb all the way to the top of Kilchurn for stunning views, but here they have built wooden stairs and platforms to accommodate visitors - the original stairs and upper floors are long gone.
Here are two views from the top, the first to the east down the length of Loch Awe, then to the west to the end of the loch and the path we walked in on. This would have been the Laird's view to survey his property.
As you can see, the cloudy day worked out great for us! The interior spaces of Kilchurn are open, and most of the original walls are gone. But you can get an idea from the shots below of the towering building it once was, with two spiral staircases built into the walls to reach the upper levels.
Funny story about the right hand image above, with the large round object. When we arrived there was a Scottish guide with a group of German tourists, and I can only imagine how much trouble they must have had interpreting his heavy brogue accent. But they were in this courtyard as we entered and we heard him share the tale that some 300 years ago came the biggest, worst thunderstorm anyone could remember, and in the middle of the night lighting struck the tower, which at the time was topped by the round stone structure. This was blown clear off the tower and thrown 15 meters away into the courtyard, where it remains to this day. The guide reported that in the morning the Laird came out, saw this laying here, and said that the Lord must now want us to live here anymore. They packed everything and left and never returned!
One chamber with intact, curved walls still overlooks the loch to the north. It's not a big space but would have made a great lookout.
Below is a panoramic view of Loch Awe and the eastern most castle wall.
As we wrapped up the visit to this family heritage site, it started a gentle rain - no worries. We had jackets and an umbrella, so we just tucked our cameras under our wraps and walked hand in hand back to the car. This was a great location and we had a lot of fun climbing all over this castle. Here's one more shot on the way out.
And yes, I'm still in Saudi Arabia, but will be heading home for the holidays in a week! I can't wait to see Dana, and our daughters and son-in-law will be there too, so it should be a wonderful visit. Fall/winter has finally arrived here. Late last week the lows were in the upper 30s F (4C) with highs in the 60s (15C). It's warmed up a bit since then, but will be right back to that by the weekend and will stay this way and a little cooler through January. This is the lovely time of the year!
Best to all, more soon! Mark
Addendum: Dana sent me this link about Kilchurn - good stuff if you're interested:
http://www.scottish-tourist.com/kilchurn-castle/
All images copyright 2015 by Stone Ridge Photographers, USA.
#ScotlandCastle, #KilchurnCastle, #ClanCampbell, #whatanadventure #HistoricScotland
The castle is shown on the maps at one end of Loch Awe, which we drove along for quite a while on the way - narrow, dark water with beautiful tall hills on either side of the valley. We reached the point where the map showed it should be and expected to see a sign, but must have missed it. We went back and looked more carefully - nope, no sign. Hmm. There was a side road just ahead and we took it, thinking maybe the access was that way.
Umm, nope, no access or sign here either. But we reached a point where we could see through the trees and there it was, a kilometer away, across fields and water and fences. There was a small pull-off, and there was a stair built over the fence. I was pretty sure this must be the way to access the place, but we couldn't tell how to get there, even though we had clear line of sight to the castle. Dana was pretty sure this couldn't be it, so we got back in the car and went back the way we came.
Back on the main road and going slowly now that we knew where this place was, I spotted just a small gravel road in about the right place and said, let's try this.We pulled off onto a very rough lane, full of deep ruts, but after a few hundred meters we came to a car park with half a dozen cars and a small bus. This must be the place! At the end of the parking area was a simple sign that said, essentially, enjoy the sights, clean up after yourself, close the gates behind you, and stay off the train tracks! (I love Scotland!) That was all the invitation we needed and headed down the path.
Of course, I'm not a flower guy so I have no idea what these are, but it was a beautiful path through this wooded area and these lovely flowering bushes. Here's a closeup if someone can identify this flora.
Another hundred meters through the trees and we came out next to a stream leading into the loch, with a train bridge going over it. Since we weren’t supposed to go over the track, we went under the bridge and I saw a nice spot for a photo. It was a totally overcast day, some might call it gloomy, but I think I imaged pretty well what I saw.
On past the tracks and through a gate built to keep the sheep in, not the people out, and we saw the castle ahead across a pasture. We later learned that the castle used to be on a small island, but a decade ago they lowered the water level on the loch so now it is accessible by foot. All in all I think it was about 1.5 km hike in from the car park – an easy stroll on a lovely cool day. This was not like Castle Campbell, which was restored 60 some years ago – this place has stood alone for centuries and the wear was immediately apparent.
Still, we could see people high on the walls so we hoped for a good view and trekked on. Despite the age, the lower walls are in good shape even though the upper floors have suffered. Yes, this was at least 3 stories tall, gauging from the windows high off the ground and the indents in the inside walls meant to hold beams to support the upper floors. These structures were some seriously engineered places, meant to withstand the test of time, or a determined enemy. The lintel stone over the doorway attests to the durability.
This 15th century castle was home to Campbells of Glenorchy, and was a magnificent structure at its height. Surrounded by water on a rocky outcrop it would have been a safe and secure location. Time has taken its toll, though. Still, it was a magical place to visit. Like Castle Campbell, you can climb all the way to the top of Kilchurn for stunning views, but here they have built wooden stairs and platforms to accommodate visitors - the original stairs and upper floors are long gone.
Here are two views from the top, the first to the east down the length of Loch Awe, then to the west to the end of the loch and the path we walked in on. This would have been the Laird's view to survey his property.
As you can see, the cloudy day worked out great for us! The interior spaces of Kilchurn are open, and most of the original walls are gone. But you can get an idea from the shots below of the towering building it once was, with two spiral staircases built into the walls to reach the upper levels.
Funny story about the right hand image above, with the large round object. When we arrived there was a Scottish guide with a group of German tourists, and I can only imagine how much trouble they must have had interpreting his heavy brogue accent. But they were in this courtyard as we entered and we heard him share the tale that some 300 years ago came the biggest, worst thunderstorm anyone could remember, and in the middle of the night lighting struck the tower, which at the time was topped by the round stone structure. This was blown clear off the tower and thrown 15 meters away into the courtyard, where it remains to this day. The guide reported that in the morning the Laird came out, saw this laying here, and said that the Lord must now want us to live here anymore. They packed everything and left and never returned!
One chamber with intact, curved walls still overlooks the loch to the north. It's not a big space but would have made a great lookout.
Below is a panoramic view of Loch Awe and the eastern most castle wall.
As we wrapped up the visit to this family heritage site, it started a gentle rain - no worries. We had jackets and an umbrella, so we just tucked our cameras under our wraps and walked hand in hand back to the car. This was a great location and we had a lot of fun climbing all over this castle. Here's one more shot on the way out.
And yes, I'm still in Saudi Arabia, but will be heading home for the holidays in a week! I can't wait to see Dana, and our daughters and son-in-law will be there too, so it should be a wonderful visit. Fall/winter has finally arrived here. Late last week the lows were in the upper 30s F (4C) with highs in the 60s (15C). It's warmed up a bit since then, but will be right back to that by the weekend and will stay this way and a little cooler through January. This is the lovely time of the year!
Best to all, more soon! Mark
Addendum: Dana sent me this link about Kilchurn - good stuff if you're interested:
http://www.scottish-tourist.com/kilchurn-castle/
All images copyright 2015 by Stone Ridge Photographers, USA.
#ScotlandCastle, #KilchurnCastle, #ClanCampbell, #whatanadventure #HistoricScotland
