Duart Castle

Duart Castle stands on the Isle of Mull, beside the Sound of Mull off Scotland’s west coast. The 13th-century fortress is the seat of Clan MacLean and overlooks the narrow strait. A storm in 1653 drove three Cromwellian ships onto the rocks north of the castle. The wreck of one of those warships, the Swan, lies within a protected marine area nearby. The castle was rebuilt in 1911 after decades as a ruin. The castle’s walls have witnessed sieges, marriages and naval battles across seven centuries. In 1390 Donald Macdonald, Lord of the Isles, confirmed the MacLeans’ ownership by charter. In 1647 Campbell troops attacked but were beaten back by Royalist clansmen. The colours of the 236th Canadian Expeditionary Force battalion hang in the Great Hall. Visitors walk through restored towers and the Great Hall with its regimental colours. The seaward walls command views of Mull’s hills and the Sound. Outside, the Duart Point lighthouse, built in 1900, marks the southern headland. Films such as I Know Where I’m Going! and Entrapment have used the castle as a backdrop.