Castle Stalker

P3w1

Castle Stalker on Loch Laich

Castle Stalker ( Scottish Gaelic: Caisteal to Stalcaire ) is a tower house, about 2.5 kilometers north east of Port Appin, a village in Argyll in Scotland. The lowland castle stands on a small rocky tidal island in Loch Laich, an inlet of Loch Linnhe, about half- way between Oban and Glen Coe in the Western Highlands of Scotland. It is by boat to reach at low tide on foot.

The name of the castle is derived from the Scottish Gaelic to Stalcaire from what either "hunter" or " falconer " means. It should therefore also be " stalker " pronounced (and not as in English " stocker ").

History

Although the location is similar to the prehistoric Crannogs, but the island is of natural origin.

The castle was built around 1320 as a small attachment from the Clan MacDougall, the then Lords of Lorn, built. To 1388, the castle passed into the possession of the Stewarts, they expansions in its present form from about 1440 as a compact, four-storey tower house. After several changes of ownership, the last inhabitants of the Campbell family left in 1840, the slowly decaying buildings.

In 1908, the castle of Charles Stewart of Achara was purchased, who performed first renovations. 1965 took over Stewart Allward the plant and put it completely restored.

Castle Stalker is almost authentically restored and is considered one of the best preserved medieval residential towers in the west of Scotland. It is part of the " Lynn of Lorn National Scenic Area ", one of the 40 most beautiful scenery in Scotland.

The castle is privately owned and can only be visited by prior arrangement.

Trivia

The picturesque silhouette of the defiant and gloomy island castle against a dramatic mountain scenery has made her become a popular photo and movie motif. It is particularly known as Grail Castle Stalker " Castle of Aaaaaaaargh " in the final scene of the movie The Holy Grail of the British comedy troupe Monty Python. Also in the film Highlander III - The Legend is seen.