| Castle Stalker | |
|---|---|
 Castle Stalker with the Lynn of Lorne andLismore beyond | |
 Interactive map of the Castle Stalker area | |
| General information | |
| Location | Argyll and Bute, Tidal island on Loch Laich, Scotland |
| Website | |
| castlestalker | |
Castle Stalker (Scottish Gaelic:Caisteal an Stalcaire) is a four-storeytower house orkeep in the Scottish county ofArgyll. It is set on atidal islet on Loch Laich, an inlet offLoch Linnhe. It is about1+1⁄2 miles (2.5 kilometres) north-east ofPort Appin and is visible from theA828 road about midway betweenOban andGlen Coe. The islet is accessible with difficulty from the shore at low tide. The name "Stalker" comes from theGaelicStalcaire, meaning "hunter" or "falconer". Theisland castle is one of the best preserved medieval tower houses to survive in western Scotland and is a Category Alisted building.[1][2] It stands in the Lynn of LornNational Scenic Area.[3]
The original castle was a small fort built around 1320 byClan MacDougall, who were then Lords ofLorn.[4] Around 1388, theStewarts took over the Lordship of Lorn, and it is believed that they built the castle in its present form around the 1440s. The Stewarts' relative KingJames VI of Scotland visited the castle, and a drunken bet, around 1620, resulted in the castle passing toClan Campbell.[4] After the castle changed hands between these clans a couple of times, the Campbells finally abandoned it 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.[5]
For the 2011 census, the island on which the castle stands was classified by theNational Records of Scotland as an inhabited island that "had no usual residents at the time of either the 2001 or 2011 censuses."[6]
Castle Stalker has been used as a location for the filming of multiple works including:
Castle Stalker is the inspiration for Castle Keep in the children's bookThe Boggart.[9]
56°34′16″N5°23′10″W / 56.57111°N 5.38611°W /56.57111; -5.38611
