Gylen Castle

Gylen Castle stands on a rocky promontory at the southern tip of Kerrera, an island in Argyll and Bute. The ruined tower house overlooks the Firth of Lorne, its grey walls rising above the sea. Built in 1582 by the MacDougall clan, it commands views across to Mull and the Morvern hills. The castle was only lived in for a few generations before meeting its end in 1647. In that year Covenanters under General Leslie besieged and burned the stronghold during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. The site has long been recognised as important, becoming a scheduled monument in 1931. Decades later its condition worsened until a major rescue began in 2006. Historic Scotland provided £300,000 and Clan MacDougall members raised another £200,000 to stabilise the ruins. Today the restored walls frame dramatic coastal scenery and distant mountain ridges. Visitors walk along the short path from the ferry slip to the promontory. The castle’s entrance arch still stands, leading into a vaulted ground floor. Above, the remains of a spiral stair show where the MacDougalls once climbed to their private chambers. From the battlements the Firth stretches northwards, dotted with small islands and fishing boats. The wind carries salt and the cries of seabirds across the ruins, while the tide laps against the rocks below.