DUART CASTLE

Perched atop a high crag at the end of a peninsula, near the easternmost side of Mull, stands the imposing Duart Castle, ancient home of Clan Maclean. Its commanding position, overlooking the Sound of Mull, offers a perfect view of vessels passing through the channel between Mull and the mainland, as well as those heading to the Firth of Lorne and Loch Linnhe. The nearby castles of Dunstaffnage, Dunollie, Achadun and Ardtornish are also visible. Duart Castle’s great curtain walls are thought to date from circa 1200, but the keep was added the following century, when the castle came under the ownership of Chief Lachlan Lubanach Maclean following his marriage to Mary Macdonald, daughter of the Lord of the Isles. Mary’s father was said to be against the marriage and only agreed after Maclean kidnapped him. Macdonald gave Maclean much of the land on Mull, including Duart Castle, as Mary’s dowry. On the vulnerable landward side, the walls of the keep are 29ft (9m) high and 10ft (3m) thick. The seaward walls are less thick, but the steep sides of the rocky outcrop on which the castle is built make it impregnable from this aspect. Despite their declining fortunes, Duart Castle remained with the Macleans until it was surrendered to the Duke of Argyll in 1691.

By the 18th century, the castle had fallen into ruin, but in 1910, it was purchased by Sir Fitzroy Donald Maclean, the 26th Chief of the Clan Maclean. It has since undergone extensive repair and refurbishment, and is now open to the public. Visitors can walk around the dungeons and state rooms before heading up to the top of the keep to take in the amazing views. There is a small sandy cove to explore near the castle, just a short walk from the tea room.