Castle Stalker & Port Appin
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Castle Stalker is a MacDougall, later
Stewart Castle, later Campbell Castle, 18 miles
north of Oban, 15 miles southwest of Ballachulish, 16 miles southwest of
Glencoe,
by the small Village of Port Appin, built from
the 1320s.
The Castle can be visited certain days by
Boat with visiting dates on the Castle website.
There is a small entrance fee. Postcode: PA38
4BL
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The image top is of the Castle Stalker
View Gift Shop, Diner and Snack Bar with
outdoor seating where you can look down on the
Castle.
The image second top is of the Snack Bar and
Outdoor Seating with Castle Stalker down
below.
You can walk down a Path from The View, but
is fairly steep.
If visiting the Castle, you can park down at
the Old Inn, bottom
of the Main Road hill, half of a mile south of
The View, then walk round to the Castle
Boathouse.
The road round to Port Appin also gives
great views of Castle Stalker with the remote
Morvern
Mountains behind.
Driving down to Port Appin Pier, you pass
Airds Hotel with a
scenic garden with sea views.
Just round from the Airds Hotel is the
Village Shop and Craft Shop.
Down from the Shop is Port Appin Pier with
the Pierhouse
Hotel, with outdoor seating looking over
the sea to Lismore Island.
The Port Appin to Lismore Ferry runs regular
on the 1 mile crossing, with the Island popular
for Cycling, as it is fairly flat.
Lismore Website
Castle Stalker History
1320 - a small Fort was built on this Island
for Clan MacDougall, who were Lords of Lorn,
with Lorn being this area.
1296 - 1328 - the First War of
Scottish Independence was fought between the
Scots and English, with Robert the Bruce
becoming King of an Independent Scotland.
Clan MacDougall had fought against The
Bruce, leading to them losing much of their
Land.
1388 - the Stewart's took over as Lords of
Lorn, with the Stewart's being descendants of
The Bruce.
1440s - the Stewart's built the earliest
parts of Castle Stalker.
1620 - Castle Stalker passed to the
Campbell's, claimed to be through a drunken
bet.
1840 - the Campbell's abandoned Castle
Stalker as the roof was damaged.
1908 - Charles Stewart of Achara bought
Castle Stalker with him repairing the roof.
1965 - Lt Col Stewart Allward took control
of the Castle, with him restoring it over 10
years.
Castle Stalker is Private but opened to the
public certain days in summer, with bookings
made through the Website.
--------------------------------------------
1200s - Clan MacDougall built Castle Coeffin
on the Island of Lismore, now a ruin.
1200s - Clan MacDougall built Dunstaffnage Castle 15 miles south of
Castle Stalker, 3 miles north of Oban.
Clan MacDougall
were related to Clan Donald, descendants of the
Norse Lord named Somerled, who ruled much of
the Western Isles in the 1100s.
Clan MacDougall fought with Clan Comyn
during the First Scottish War of Independence
against Robert the Bruce.
After Bruce became King of Scotland, he
awarded much of the MacDougall land to Clan
Stewart and Clan Campbell.
The main Castle of Clan Campbell is at
Inveraray 45 miles southeast of
Castle Stalker.
Clan Campbell became one of the most
powerful Clans in Scotland as the stayed loyal
to the Kings, so were on the winning side of
most conflicts, leading to more land and
power.
The Stewart Clan
were descendants of Robert the Bruce, with
Stewart's being Scottish Kings from 1371 to
1714, with them connected to many Castles
throughout Scotland.
There are still some large landowner
descendants of Robert the Bruce, that would
have a claim to the Throne of Scotland should
Scotland ever become an independent country
again, such as the Stuart's of Rothesay Castle
on the Isle of Bute, also the owners of
Traquair House in southern
Scotland.
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