THERE ARE CASTLES . . . AND THERE ARE CASTLES. Even the largest, most luxurious were dreary, drafty and cold. The smaller castles, like Campbell, Doune, Newark, Dumbarton and Dunstaffnage must have been truly nasty places to live, not nearly as comfortable as Argyll Lodging, just below Stirling Castle. But they occupied strategic locations and with a handful of armed knights were defensable - some more than others.
500 steps
Castle Campbell sits high on a hill reached by a long walk, through a glen on a muddy trail near the town of Dollar. It is more complete than others and looks more comfortable but the logistics of getting there would be a deterrent on today's real estate market. Newark Castle will really be something when the current renovations are complete with a nice view over the Clyde. It requires a climb of 500 steps to see that ittle remains of the original Dumbarton Castle but Dunstaffnage Castle combines good views with people sized rooms. None of the four convey the concept of the Disneyesque castle
Doune's claim to fame
I will probably lose my good standing in the Guys Club for saying it, but I have never seen all of Monty Python and the Holy Grail. But if you have you will be familiar with Doune Castle which was used as a location for several scenes. It's historical role is much more obscure.
St. Conans, a case for rebuilding
One look at St. Conans Kirk on Loch Awe made me wonder why no one has taken the time to put at least a few of these medieval monuments in order. In the late 1880s Douglas Campbell (they seem to be everywhere) built a church on Loch Awe for his mother that you would swear was three or four centuries older. If he could do it then, why not now?
