Dunderave Castle

Dunderave Castle stands on a small promontory jutting into Loch Fyne in Argyll and Bute. The present building is an L-plan tower of the 16th century, still used as a private home. Below the lawns lie the remains of the clan’s earlier stronghold, destroyed after a plague outbreak. Nearby, on the Dubh Loch at Glen Shira, fragments of MacNaughton crannógs can still be seen. The name itself comes from Gaelic, either ‘The Knoll on the Promontory’ or ‘The Castle of Two Oars’, hinting at an old ferry crossing. The castle’s history is tied to the MacNaughton clan, who were styled ‘of Dunderave’ as early as 1473. In September 1591 Alexander Campbell of Cawdor paid a visit, recorded in local annals. In 1911 Sir Robert Lorimer carried out a careful restoration and reshaped the gardens. The estate remains in private hands, preserving its quiet presence on the lochside. Visitors approach along a short drive to find a modest but well-kept 16th-century tower. The L-shaped plan frames views over Loch Fyne and the surrounding hills. Outside, Lorimer’s garden terraces slope gently down to the water’s edge. Beyond the castle, the Dubh Loch holds the ghostly outlines of the clan’s first island homes. The scene is one of calm water, old stone, and the layered past of a Highland family.