Castles and gardens Near Oban

Super historic castle and castle ruins abound. Our highlights and favourites include:

Dunstaffnage Castle

Dunstaffnage Castle is located 5 miles north of Oban on the west coast of Scotland. It was to here that The Stone of Destiny was brought over from Ireland via Iona. In the mid-ninth century with the Norsemen attacking from the west, the seat of power was moved to Scone, near Perth. Dunstaffnage Castle looks square and impenetrable with round towers. A MacDougall stronghold until 1309, it was seized by Robert the Bruce who then appointed the Campbell clan as its hereditary keepers in the name of the Crown.

Castle Sween

The castle stands guarding the mouth of Loch Sween and set upon a low rocky point beside a sand beach facing south. The low ground between the site and the hills leaves the castle highly visible to those farther up Loch Sween. The view southwest from the castle looks past nearby islands and down the Sound of Jura towards Ireland, the ancestral home of the builder. The strand would have been convenient for beaching galleys, there being no natural anchorage nearby.

Inveraray Castle

This quite magnificent and historic Scottish castle is home to the Clan Campbell. Open from 3 April until 31 October, it is a wonderful visitor experience.

Kilchurn Castle

A little further afield, Kilchurn, a spectacular ruin, is the original castle of the Glenurchy and Breadalbane Campbells. The castle stands upon a low plateau of rock at the end of a level spit of marshy land which intrudes into the northeastern end of Loch Awe. In recent years teak stairs have been installed to allow access to the upper levels of the tower, greatly increasing the interest of a visit and the range of views up Glenstrae and Glenorchy and across the loch to Cruachan.

Gardens

If you can't afford to go trekking in the Himalayas, why not come to Argyll instead? Here you will find exotic plants in more accessible locations without need of crampons, fear of vertigo or altitude sickness. Thanks to the efforts of Victorian and more recent plant hunters, many of them Scottish, huge numbers of seeds and plants came back to Britain to eager local landowners. They filled their glens and estates with the new discoveries, the plants thriving in the damp, acid soil which replicated conditions found in many other regions of the world.

Among the outstanding plants in Argyll, rhododendrons grow especially well. Apart from the world famous display at the hotel, at Arduaine see Rhododendron arboreum subsp zeylanicum brought back by James Campbell from his tea plantation in Ceylon. (Look out also for the 60ft Trochodendron aralioides from Japan with its wheel-like green flowers in early summer).

Crarae Gardens

Rare trees and exotic shrubs from around the world thrive in the mild climate and the magnificent setting of the Highland glen making Crarae unique among gardens. With over four hundred rhododendrons and azaleas, spring and summer abound with colour as the seasons progress. The many flowering shrubs change the garden's mood daily. Autumn is especially beautiful thanks to the superb variety of deciduous trees. Throughout the year the sheltered woodland walkways and spectacular gorge are a source of delight and inspiration. There is a visitor centre selling crafts and refreshments which is open seasonal hours.