Inveraray Castle

📌 Inveraray, Argyll & Bute
★★★★

No trip to Inveraray is complete without a visit to the castle it grew up around. Driving towards the town from the northeast on the A83, a narrow stone bridge crosses the River Aray where it meets Loch Fyne. As you trundle over the wide arches, probably stuck behind a slow lorry, have a look upstream to the right: this single glance at Inveraray Castle is enough to tell you that this is one of western Scotland’s most spectacular buildings. Seat of the Duke of Argyll, Chief of Clan Campbell, most of what you see dates to a major rebuild in the late 1800s following a major fire. A self-guided tour shows the interior to be as grand as the exterior promises, and there are also attractive gardens. Head up to the nearby summit of Dùn na Cuaiche from the castle car park to see the estate laid out below in all its glory.