Carnasserie Castle

If you love delving into the past, there are plenty of fascinating castles and historic sites in the area you can explore, from Kilchurn Castle perched on Loch Awe to Ardchattan Priory on the edge of Loch Etive.

I recently wrote a post on visiting Kilmartin Glen and the prehistoric landscape of Mid Argyll is a must if you're interested in finding out more about Scotland's past.  As well as visiting Kilmartin House Museum, you can discover the many standing stones, cairns and monuments scattered around the landscape.

Another historic point of interest in this area is Carnasserie Castle,  a 16th century tower house located on a hill overlooking Kilmartin Glen.  There is parking at the bottom of the hill and it's a short, quite steep, walk up to the ruins, which are free to explore.

The castle was once home to the first Protestant Bishop of the Isles, John Carswell who translated 'Book of our Common Order' by John Knox into Gaelic (the first book to be printed in Gaelic).

Built in the 1560s it is a good example of Renaissance architecture having only ever been altered slightly in the 17th century.  I liked how decorative even the gun and pistol holes were in the outer wall.

The atmospheric ruins give you a good idea of what the castle would have been like in the past.  The five storey tower house was combined with a three storey hall house: on the lower levels you can explore the remains of a kitchen and cellars, with a large fireplace; the large hall is above, connected to a drawing room in the tower house; and there are stairs that wind up to upper levels where the bedrooms would have been located.  

As well as exploring the castle interior, one of the highlights of a visit to Carnasserie Castle is the view from the top of the ruins (there are narrow stairs on either side of the castle), where you can take in the sweeping views of the surrounding countryside.  

With its idyllic setting and interesting history, a visit to Carnasserie Castle is a must if you're in the area.

Day Trips from Airdeny: Kilmartin Glen Museum

Here on the Airdeny blog I like to share suggestions for things to see and do in the Taynuilt area to help with planning your Argyll holiday or just to give you a bit of holiday inspiration.  In the next few blog posts I'll outline some day trips from Airdeny Chalets; up first is a journey back in time at the Kilmartin Museum.

From the chalet park you can follow the scenic Glen Lonan Road (where you can soak up the tranquil scenes of this quiet glen), before skirting Loch Nell and joining the A816 to head south.  The road then snakes down to gorgeous Loch Melfort, before weaving down to Kilmartin.  The journey will take just over an hour (or slightly longer if you like to make photo stops).  Alternatively, you can follow a circular route by taking the B845 just after heading east out of Taynuilt, leading you along the long arm of Loch Awe to Kilmartin (taking around an hour by car).

Glen Lonan

Kilmartin Glen is a fascinating prehistoric landscape, with more than 800 ancient monuments in the area from standing stones and stone circles to rock art.  All of the archaeological objects that are found in the mid-Argyll area are housed at the Kilmartin Museum - a wonderful place to delve into the past.

As well as enjoying the display of artefacts in the museum gallery, you can explore the glen in which they were found.  There are guided walks in August and September, starting from the museum and taking between two to two and a half hours.  (You need to sign up at the museum reception).  The guided walks take you to some of Kilmartin Glen's most important historical sites, such as Temple Wood, the Nether Largie Standing Stones, and the Glebe Cairns.  It is a fantastic opportunity to learn more about the history of the landscape from the volunteer guides, as well as appreciate the beauty of the glen.

Kilmartin Museum also has an award-winning cafe, so you can enjoy a spot of lunch or coffee and home baking, plus a gift and bookshop to browse.  It is a trip that I highly recommend to guests at Airdeny - and I also suggest returning north along the A816 to end the day with fish and chips in Oban, and a stroll around the harbour.

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Kilmartin Museum is open every day from March to the end of October, 10am to 5pm.  There are reduced opening hours between November and Christmas.  Tickets cost £5 for adults, £2 for children and there are family tickets available.