I am not a fan of getting up early. Nevertheless, I had set the alarm for an unholy hour. The plan was to capture Kilchurn Castle at sunrise. It’s sometimes called the most photographed castle in Scotland, it’s also close enough for a day trip, and I can use it to tick off the ruin (No. 2) section on my Project-101.
The castle was built in the mid-1400s and was the base for the Campbells of Glenorchy for about 150 years. After the first Jacobite Rising of 1689, the castle was converted into a garrison stronghold for the government. However, it was abandoned by the end of the 1700s.
Conveniently there is a layby to the south of the castle on the A819. The castle can be easily seen from the roadside, but it is only a short walk to get to a much better position. Over the stile and across the field. It was pretty boggy, so you should probably wear good walking boots or wellington boots. There is some plastic mesh and wooden boards across the worst of it. After a short walk, you get to the banks of Loch Awe. You can get some great pictures from this angle, but I recommend walking a little further down the bank, just before the trees start; there are some excellent angles here.
However, I did manage to drop one of my filters on the muddy ground, horror of horrors. After a bit of in-the-field cleaning, and everything was ok again. Lesson learnt, be more careful!
After my research, I decided that sunrise would be best here, but I think it would work any time of the day. I’m pretty pleased with how the photos came out anyway, despite the early start!
What Three Words Locations
Parking: ///adults.offices.typically
Spot One: ///scrambles.beams.above
Spot Two: ///remainder.conducted.daytime
Ollie Desforges Photography 