Glengorm Castle

Glengorm Castle stands on the Isle of Mull in Argyll and Bute, a 19th-century country house known also as Castle Sorne. It sits in Mishnish, six kilometres northwest of Tobermory, reached by a dead-end road. The house is protected as a Category B listed building. The Mishnish estate was bought in 1856 by James Forsyth of Quinish, who cleared townships to build the new home. Completed in 1860, the castle was designed by Kinnear and Peddie in a Scots Baronial style. The castle’s name comes from an old story. During construction, Forsyth asked an elderly woman what to call the manor. She suggested Gleann Gorm, meaning blue glen, unaware that the name would reflect the blue smoke from burning seaweed and peat in cleared settlements. Another tale claims an old woman cursed Forsyth so he would never live there. He died in a riding accident in 1863, just before the castle was finished. Today the castle is a family home but visitors can visit a café and shop in the former stables. The building overlooks the Atlantic Ocean, and from its northern side Coll and mainland Great Britain are often visible. On clear days, the islands of Rùm, Canna, Barra and Uist can also be seen in the distance. The surrounding landscape offers sweeping views across the sea and moorland.