Achallader Castle, 16th-century tower house in Argyll and Bute, Scotland
Achallader Castle is a 16th-century tower house in Argyll and Bute, Scotland, now standing as a ruin next to Achallader Farm beside Loch Tulla. Two walls remain upright, and traces of corbelling are still visible on the stonework.
Sir Duncan Campbell of Glen Orchy took control of the tower house in 1587 after disputes with rival families over surrounding lands. The MacGregors burned it down in 1603, leaving the structure in the damaged state that can be seen today.
The name Achallader comes from Gaelic and refers to a stream running through open moorland, which still describes the setting well today. The ruins stand within a working farm, and visitors who look closely can see how the remaining walls were built with carefully laid stone.
The ruins can be spotted from the road and from the railway line heading north from Bridge of Orchy toward Fort William. The site sits on private farm land, so it is worth checking access conditions before planning a visit.
The castle was used as a meeting place in 1691 for Highland chiefs who gathered there to discuss submitting to the English Crown, a meeting that led directly to the events of the Glencoe Massacre the following year. This connection makes the ruin a point in one of the most recorded episodes in Scottish history.
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