Kilchurn Castle, in its 'picture-postcard' setting, is the most conspicuous of the castles around Loch Awe, Scotland. It lies at the northern end of Loch Awe in Scotland.
But, as you can see, we didn't have 'picture-postcard' weather.

It was home to a cadet branch of the Argyll family, the Campbells of Glenorchy, who became Earls of Breadalbane after 1677, and who also held considerable estates in Highland Pertshire.

As their principle home for about a century, the earliest architectural developments at Kilchurn match the growing power and ambition of the Glenorchy lairds. The final major alterations to the castle; a substantial barrack-block built by the first Earl of Breadalbane to accommodate three companies of soldiers (about 200 men), possibly the earliest surviving barrack-block in mainland Britain, reflect the turbulence and insecurity of this part of the Highlands after 1689.

Breadalbane himself had no illusions about Kilchurn which he described as "that useless house". It was first used to garrison government forces during the 1715 Jacobite rising, and was garrisoned again during the '45. Breadalbane, however, failed to sell it to the government and it was abandoned after the 1760's while the family concentrated on Taymouth Castle and their Pertshire estates.

The pictures below are made by Dave Caw, the webmaster of the website 'Caledonian Castles Hame Page', which was online until mid-2004. I placed these pictures here as a reminder of the great quality of that website. They will be removed whenever it goes back online.

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