Castle Tioram, in Dorlinn near Acharacle, is by far my favorite castle. The ruin sits on the tidal island Eilean Tioram in Loch Moidart, Lochaber, Highland, Scotland.Perhaps it is because it seemed so magical the first time I laid eyes upon it two years ago. My photograph of the castle from that trip is my face page on my phone! Though hidden from the sea, the castle controls access to Loch Shiel. Today, when I arrived in Acharacle the sun was shining and I knew I had to make my way down to the castle before the rain set in. Fortunately, the tide was out and I was able to walk all around the castle on the mud flats and photograph it as I had not been able to do on my first visit. I still need to go back and climb on up to photograph details but for today I captured it in a way I had not been able to before.
Another reason I am so attached to this castle is that it was modified (or built) by Amy MacRuari, wife of John, 7th Lord of the Isles, who was divorced by her husband so he could marry Margaret, daughter of Robert II. She lived here and ran the castle after the divorce – yes, a single woman in charge! The Clan Ranald branch of the MacDonalds came through her, and this became the seat of the MacDonalds of Clan Ranald.
“Caisteal Tioram is one of the most remarkable castles on Scotland’s western seaboard and, given the nature of the site and Scotland’s part in “dark age” and medieval european history, is a monument of European dimension and importance.”
“It is also a castle of great beauty, whose ruined state poetically sums up its history. Once a centre of power of the medieval Lordship of the Isles, and later of the Macdonalds of Clanranald, it was burnt on the orders of the last chief of the direct line when he set off to join the doomed Jacobite rising of 1715.” http://www.tioram.org/
The drive from Ardtornish to Acharacle was beautiful and I stopped for a few miscellaneous photos!
