Castle Stalker is located 25 miles north of
Oban on the west coast of Scotland.
Built around 1540 by Duncan Stewart of Appin, this much-photographed castle was gifted by him to James IV for use as a hunting lodge.
In fact, its Gaelic name Caisteal Stalcair translates literally as 'Castle of the Hunter'.
It sits at the mouth of Loch Laich (by Loch Linnhe) on a rocky islet known as the Rock of the Cormorants which is also the battle cry of the Stewarts of Appin.
The castle, like so many in Scotland, has had a turbulent history. One 17th century Stewart gambled it away to a Campbell for an eight-oared galley.
During the 1745 Jacobite Rising it was used as a garrison for troops.
Abandoned around 1780, it lost its roof shortly before 1831 and was restored from its ruinous state in the late 1960s by the late Lt. Col. Stewart Allward whose family still owns the castle.
It is open only on certain days each year. For 2007, it will be open on the following days:
- 7th May - 11th May
- 14th May - 18th May
- 20th August - 24th August
- 27th August - 31st August
- 3rd September - 7th September
Telephone 01631 730 234 or 01631 740 306 for details of tour times and to book a place.
There is an admission charge which includes the trip across the loch.
