Carrick Castle, Medieval tower house in Argyll and Bute, Scotland
Carrick Castle is a medieval tower house standing on the western shore of Loch Goil in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It rises several stories above a central great hall, with thick stone walls that have survived largely intact to the present day.
The Campbell family built the castle in the late 14th century as a stronghold in a region where control of land and water mattered greatly. King James IV of Scotland later used it as a hunting lodge, marking a shift from military to royal leisure.
Carrick Castle sits right on the water's edge, and its position along Loch Goil once gave whoever held it control over movement through this narrow sea loch. Today visitors can walk close to the walls and take in how the building relates to the water around it.
The castle is reached by a minor road that follows the western shore of Loch Goil, ending south of Lochgoilhead with no through route beyond. Visitors should plan for a return journey along the same road, as there is no alternative way out.
Excavations at the site turned up French vessels and coins from Nuremberg, which points to trading links that stretched well beyond Scotland. This suggests the castle was connected to wider European networks despite its remote setting on a narrow Scottish sea loch.
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