Carrick Castle

Carrick Castle is a 15th-century tower house on the west shore of Loch Goil, Argyll.

The present ruin is possibly the third occupant of this location. The first may have been a Viking fort. The second structure, and first castle, is believed to have been built in the 12th century. Allegedly a hunting seat of the Scots kings, Carrick was originally a Lamont stronghold. In 1368 it then passed on to the Campbell Earls of Argyll.

In the spring of 1307, Robert the Bruce drove Henry Percy from the Castle before conducting a guerrilla war against Edward I of England. Edward had given the castle, which belonged to Robert, to Percy.

The third structure, the late 15th century castle, was a royal stronghold, held by the Earls of Argyll as hereditary keepers, and was the symbol and source of their power in South Argyll. It was one of their three chief castles, the other two being Duart and Fincharn.

Mary, Queen of Scots, visited here in 1563.

In 1685, during the rebellion of Archibald Campbell, 9th Earl of Argyll, against King James VII, HMS Kingfisher bombarded the castle, badly damaging the keep, which lost its roof.

The castle was intermittently occupied until it was sold to the Murrays, the Earls of Dunmore.

The keep was a ruin for many years but is now in private ownership and undergoing restoration.

Dunderave Castle

Dunderave Castle is an L-plan castle built in the 16th century as the Scottish seat of the MacNaughton clan. The castle lies on a small promontory on the northern shores of Loch Fyne, around 3 miles from Inveraray. The castle is in use as a private residence. The present castle was built after their previous castle was destroyed following a Plague infection.

Kames Castle

On the shore of Kames Bay near Port Bannatyne on the Island of Bute, the castle consists of a 14th Century tower, with a house built on it in the 18th Century.

Originally the seat of the Bannatyne family, Kames is one of the oldest continuously inhabited houses in Scotland.

Law Castle West Kilbride

Law castle is a restored 15th century keep which is available for rent as a holiday home. It is situated at the top of Law Brae a short walking distance from West Kilbride train station.

Superb views of the Firth can be had at from the brae.

It would appear Law castle had a quiet life without much incident as there is little in the way of information to be found on it.

The keep was built in the 15 th century as a wedding gift for Princess Mary the eldest daughter of James the 11 of Scotland upon her marriage to Thomas Boyd the Earl of Arran.

Little Cumbrae Castle

Little Cumbrae castle was built by Lord Eglinton in the 16th century, some sources say as a base to prevent deer and rabbit poaching, apparently both animals being very common on the main Cumbrae island at the time .

In 1651 the Earl of Eglington sent his wife Lady Montgomerie to the castle with a garrison of men as he went off to fight Cromwell at the Battle of Worcester in September 1651, after the battle she was advised to surrender the castle to Cromwell or have it destroyed.

At some point during this period of unrest Archibald Hamilton a friend and correspondent of Cromwell was imprisoned in the dungeon of the castle, he was later taken to Stirling were he was hanged.

The castle was stormed by Cromwellian forces and destroyed apparently for the part it had played in his friend’s downfall, the castle was never reoccupied.

The castle looks at though it’s still in good condition; it lies on a little tidal islet.

In order to view the castle in any detail you have to take a boat trip round little Cumbrae,you cant land as the island is private.

The boat the Mary Anne leaves from Millport and is a pleasant trip of about an hour, the guide on board is very informative and friendly with a good knowledge of the whole island.

Portencross Castle

Portencross castle lies a few miles from the village of West Kilbride,it stands on a rocky shore with a small bay at the entrance to the castle.

The area surrounding the the castle is very scenic with fine views across to the Little Cumbrae Island and the Isle of Arran in the distance.

Portencross was the seat of the Barony of Arnele conferred by Robert 1 on Sir Robert Boyd of Kilmarnock.

Robert the 11 and the 111 were frequent visitors at the castle while they were in transit to their favourite residences of Dundonald on the mainland and Rothesay Castle on the Island of Bute.

Some observers believe that the castle was built for this purpose,it remained a Boyd property until 1737 when the roof blew off,it has been an empty shell since.

It is hoped that the castle will be made safe and open to the public in 2010.

Friends of Portencross Castle can be found HERE

Skelmorlie Castle

On the south side of Skelmorlie village is the large imposing mansion house of Skelmorlie,a much altered building but you can still see traces of the original tower which dates back to about 1500,it was a stronghold for the Montgomerie family.

It was restyled in the Scott's Baronial style in the 1850s.

A private house which can only be viewed from the road.

Castle Toward

As you pass Toward Lighthouse on the way to Rothesay by ferry,you will see this large mansion house,it was built in 1832 by the famous Glasgow architect David Hamilton.
Built for the Glasgow lord Provost Kirkman Finlay,its now an out door activity centre.

Fairlie Castle

This old post card dates from 1906,not much has changed.

Fairlie castle is a tower dating back to the 15th century,it was built by the Fairlies who apparently descended from the Rosses of Tarbet.
The last Fairlie sold the tower to John Boyle of Kelburn in 1650.

Fairlie castle is situated in a glen which looks out to the Firth of Clyde,it is quite difficult to photograph as there is not much open ground.
The castle although roofless still looks to be well preserved,you can still see the roundels at all four corners.

Fairlie village is a pleasant little place,railway station,a small church and villas,it still has a busy boat repair company.The sea front is quiet as most people are heading for Largs a few miles up the road,well worth a visit.

Dumbarton Rock and Castle

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Dumbarton Rock is a 240ft high twin peaked volcanic plug, with the River Clyde on one side and the River Leven on the other. Its not hard to see why this rock has been utilised as a defensive fortress for over 1500 years, only coming to an end after World War 11.

The first recorded presence on the rock comes from a letter by St Patrick who wrote to King Cedric who was king of Strathclyde at Alcluith also known as Clyde rock in about 450 AD. In the letter he complains about a raid on his settlement of Irish converts. The date is supported by archaeological evidence which suggest the residents who lived on Dumbarton Rock traded with the Romans before their departure in 367 AD.

In 756 a joint force of Picts and Northumbrians attacked the rock and captured it only to lose it again two days later, in 780 the rock was besieged and the settlements on it burned down, by who is unclear.

In 870 the Vikings attacked the rock, it took 15 weeks before they destroyed the settlement, they carried off the loot and survivors as slaves. They departed apparently in a fleet of over 200 Viking long ships.

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It was in 1018 before the Kingdom of Strathclyde eventually joined forces with the rest of Scotland.

By the 13^th century the rock had become a royal stronghold sought after by English and Scottish kings. After the Scott's were defeated at the Battle of Pinkie in 1547, the young Mary (aged 5) Queen of Scott's was taken to Dumbarton for saftey, fefore she departed to France escorted by a French fleet.

The castle swapped hands many times but was regained for Queen Mary's return from France in 1561.

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By 1571 Mary's reign was over as she fled to her doom with Queen Elizabeth the first. Her supporters held out at Dumbarton until a rather daring raid by Thomas Crawford of Jordanhill captured the castle by using just 100 men and scaling the least accessible part of the rock during the night. The surprise was so complete that none of Crawford's men died.

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Later the castle became a prison then a barracks before being abandoned in 1865, however it saw action again during the world wars the Germans bombed it in May 1941 during a raid on the Clyde.

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The castle was swept away during the period of 1670 to 1790, the only notable building on the rock is the Governors House, other buildings are the French prison and the powder house at the top of the castle. No mater where you go on the rock you must be ready to climb the hundreds of stairs, at the top is the White Tower where you can view the River Clyde heading towards the open sea.

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