Inveraray Castle, Argyll, Scotland

After about an hour or two drive from Glasgow, through Rest and Be Thankful, we arrived in Inveraray, a beautiful small town. Nearby is Inveraray Castle, home to the Dukes of Argyll, chiefs of Clan Campbell.

They have some beautiful black Highland cattle.

We enjoyed a tour of the castle's extensive interior. No photos were allowed inside, but there was plenty outside to photograph. The azaleas were in full bloom.

Wow look how blue the sky is! When the sun does come out in Scotland, the colors are so vivid.

The original castle on this spot had been here since the 1400s. At the time, the village was a collection of cottages very close to the castle. The third duke had the old castle demolished. The current Inveraray Castle dates back to 1744. This castle isn't a true castle in the traditional sense (used for defense), but a Georgian mansion house in a Gothic style. It took about 40 years to complete.  After a fire in 1877, a third floor was added along with the conical roofs on the corner towers.

 I love these beautiful old trees covered in moss.

The old village of Inveraray, which was very close to the castle, was moved a short distance away. The fifth Duke of Argyll had the town constructed on it's present site beginning in 1770. This is one of the best examples of an eighteenth century town in Scotland and most of the buildings are protected because of their architectural significance. This is one of the prettiest towns I've seen.

 Dun na Cuaiche sits on a hilltop far above the castle, near the site of an Iron Age fort.

 Millions of bluebells grow on the castle grounds. They even have a Bluebell Festival here at the castle in May and children dress up like fairies.

Click to enlarge.

The gardens were incredibly beautiful and large. We had a nice long stroll through them.

To learn more about the castle, especially the interior, click here for the ground floor. After you view that, there's a menu to the side where you can select the other floors.

Thanks for checking out my photos!
Vonda

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Gwyneth Carswell, an English lady banished by her father to the harsh Scottish Highlands, wants nothing more than to take her young son away from the violence of two fighting clans--her own distant kin, the MacIrwins, and their enemies, the MacGraths. She risks everything to rescue the fierce MacGrath warrior from the battlefield where he’s left for dead by her clan. She only knows she is inexplicably drawn to him and he wants peace as she does. When her clan learns of her betrayal, they seek vengeance. Dare she trust the enemy more than her own family? 

Laird Alasdair MacGrath is driven to end two-hundred years of feuding with the MacIrwins. But by taking in and protecting Lady Gwyneth and her son, he provokes more attacks from his mortal enemy. As the danger and conflict surrounding them escalate, Alasdair and Gwyneth discover an explosive passion neither of them expected. With the arrival of a powerful man from her past, a horrible decision confronts her--give up her son or the man she loves.