Mingary Castle

Mingary Castle stands on a rocky ridge one and a half kilometres south-east of Kilchoan in Lochaber. It overlooks the Sound of Mull and once controlled sea routes to the islands. The castle’s thick stone walls, nearly three metres wide, show how strongly it was built to withstand attack. Built in the thirteenth or fourteenth century, its first owners may have been the MacDougalls or the MacDonalds of Ardnamurchan. The castle played a part in many conflicts between clans and kings. King James IV used it in the late fifteenth century against Clan Donald. In 1515 Clan MacDonald of Lochalsh besieged the castle and took it two years later. Later the MacLeans of Duart held it after capturing the MacDonald chief. In 1644 Alasdair mac Colla seized the castle from Covenanters. A shipwreck found below the castle in 2006 dated to the same year. Visitors today see a hexagonal ruin with high walls and a restored drawbridge. Archaeologists are uncovering layers of history beneath the floors. The Mingary Castle Preservation and Restoration Trust works to stabilise the seaward wall before further repairs. The site overlooks the Sound of Mull and the Ardnamurchan hills beyond.