Recommended place to stay:
Lochgilphead, Scotland, United Kingdom (UK)
Official star rating:
If you’ve ever dreamt of bedding down in an ancient castle, it might well have looked like this bijoux bolthole.
Straight out of the pages of a romantic novel, 16th-century Kilmartin Castle lies in a wild, windswept west coast glen, once owned by the Campbell clan. Now a luxurious five-bedroom B&B, it’s been sensitively converted, retaining the stone-flagged floors, barrel-vaulted ceilings and spiral staircases.
It’s a tiny castle with bags of attitude and quirky touches, flickering fires, a record player and stack of vinyl and freestanding copper tubs. Best suited to history lovers, wild romantics and ‘Outlander’ fans, wanting to live the craggy-castle dream.
Kilmartin Glen is in Argyll on the west coast of Scotland, and steeped in history, home to standing stones and burial cairns from 5000 years ago. The little village has a museum, a hotel serving home-cooked pub grub and a church with graves dating back to the 10th century – and not much else.
The nearest small town is Lochgilphead, an 18th-century settlement, literally at the head of Loch Gilp, a 10-minute drive away.
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Destination guides including or relevant to this experience
Scottish Highlands, United Kingdom (UK)
Magnificent mountain scenery slashed by silvery lochs and peppered with brooding castles: all laden with rich Scottish heritage, history and tradition. Drive the NC500 road trip, or ride on the spectacular West Highland Line.
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