Skipness Castle

Skipness Castle stands on the Kintyre peninsula’s eastern edge, near the small village of Skipness. It overlooks the water with Kilbrannan Chapel close by, both protected as scheduled monuments. The main castle was built in the early 13th century by the Clan MacSween. Later additions came in the 13th, 14th and 16th centuries as the structure was strengthened. Royal troops garrisoned the castle in 1494 under King James IV during his campaign against the Isles. Duncan Forestar became keeper at that time under royal appointment. The castle played a part in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms when Alasdair Mac Colla besieged it in 1646. His brother Gilleasbuig Mac Colla died during the siege that August. The Campbells gained control in 1511 when Archibald Campbell, 2nd Earl of Argyll, granted Skipness to his younger son. By the 17th century the castle had been abandoned and left to decay. Visitors find a roofless ruin of grey stone standing against the sea. The remains include thick walls and a central tower that still rises above the ground. The chapel nearby holds simple graves and a fine effigy of a knight. The site offers wide views across Kilbrannan Sound to the Arran hills. The wind carries salt and the sound of gulls across the ruins.