Castle Stalker, Argyll and Bute, United Kingdom

Castle Stalker is a four-storey tower house or keep set on a tidal islet on Loch Laich. The island castle's picturesque appearance, with its bewitching island setting against a dramatic backdrop of mountains, has made it a favourite subject for postcards and calendars, and something of a cliché image of Scottish Highland scenery. Castle Stalker is entirely authentic; it is one of the best-preserved medieval tower-houses surviving in western Scotland.

The original castle was a small fort, built around 1320 by Clan MacDougall who were then Lords of Lorn.[3] Around 1388 the Stewarts took over the Lordship of Lorn, and it is believed that they built the castle in its present form around the 1440s. The Stewart's relative King James IV of Scotland visited the castle, and a drunken bet around 1620 resulted in the castle passing to Clan Campbell. After changing hands between these clans a couple of times the Campbells finally abandoned the castle in about 1840, when it lost its roof. In 1908 the castle was bought by Charles Stewart of Achara, who carried out basic conservation work. In 1965 Lt. Col. D. R. Stewart Allward acquired the castle and over about ten years fully restored it. Castle Stalker remains in private ownership and is open to the public at selected times during the summer.

While most castle scenes in the movie Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975) were filmed in and around Doune Castle, Castle Stalker appears in the final scene as 'The Castle of Aaaaarrrrrrggghhh'.

References:

Wikipedia

User Reviews

Giancarlo Porrello (21 months ago)
The castle looks amazing from the shore, quite small castle but it looks like out of Harry Potter or something like that.

Alf Hay (2 years ago)
May well be 5 star if you visit on one of their tours. We stayed on a small CL site opposite and I walked out to the castle at low tide. Beautiful backdrop if your into photography or just appreciate nature. Good cycle paths take your right to slipway for a tour if that's your thing.

julie wooly (2 years ago)
Wee jaunt oot whilst staying in Oban to places local , weather was fab an the views from the beach where I stopped to visit was amazing.. no one was about whilst I viewed the Castle just the sound oh the water from the Loch an the birds.. my kind oh heaven..

Rana Chatterjee (2 years ago)
A wonderfully original medieval castle sympathetically restored by the current owners. Visiting is like a glimpse hundreds of years into the past.

David (2 years ago)
Note that this castle is privatly owned and they don't like seeing you walking over there property. Walking over to the edge of the isle during low tide is fine but prepare to get your feet wet. Parking can be a hassle since there is no official parking lot there.

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A traditionally and historically Iranian city, the first intensive settlement in the Derbent area dates from the 8th century BC. The site was intermittently controlled by the Persian monarchs, starting from the 6th century BC. Until the 4th century AD, it was part of Caucasian Albania which was a satrap of the Achaemenid Persian Empire. In the 5th century Derbent functioned as a border fortress and the seat of Sassanid Persians. Because of its strategic position on the northern branch of the Silk Route, the fortress was contested by the Khazars in the course of the Khazar-Arab Wars. In 654, Derbent was captured by the Arabs.

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In 2003, UNESCO included the old part of Derbent with traditional buildings in the World Heritage List.

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