One could be forgiven for almost overlooking the presence of Kilchurn Castle in this image, but for me that is the beauty in stepping back from the castle and viewing it within the wider Scottish landscape of surrounding hills and loch (with Loch Awe in the foreground and Ben Cruachan towering in the background). Upon closer inspection, the castle itself is relatively intact and impressive, perhaps all the more so when it can only be accessed by a slow approach by boat over the water, or on foot across a boggy moor. Original structure dates to around 1450, but expanded in 1693 to accomodate Scotland's first purpose-built barracks. The land was originally held by the Clan MacGregor, but passed to the Campbells of Glenorchy, until they left in 1740. It subsequently housed a garrison of Hanoverian troops during the 1745 Jacobite uprising.
Location: Kilchurn Castle, Loch Awe, near Lochawe, Argyll and Bute, Scottish Highlands, Scotland, United Kingdom
Photographer: Jason Gilchrist
