The hidden gem castle of Scotland

Castles are one of our favourites places to visit and the UK houses some of the most amazing castles in the world.  However, you sometimes find a hidden gem that catches your imagination, it may not have activities, or decorated rooms but exudes a sense of magic which really amazes both the old and young.  We found one such castle on our trip to Argyll in the form of the stunning Kilchurn castle, which is the hidden gem castle of Scotland and fantastic to visit with children.

On our drive to Loch Awe in the distance we saw a gorgeous castle ruin and thought it would be a great place to go and explore.   The Kilchurn Castle is a truly breathtaking place to visit. The castle, the location and stunning scenery you will enjoy on route to the castle entrance is a sight to behold. Best of all the castle is free so for anyone in the Argyll area, it should definitely be on your to do list.

The castle car park is accessed from the A82 but be aware though the castle (or the car park) is not sign posted so can easily be missed. We only saw the entrance as there was a tour coach parked there. We visited at 4pm on bank holiday Monday and I think that is an ideal time of day to go as the tour groups will have left and if you are as lucky as us you will have the whole castle to yourselves. There is limited parking area but there is no charge for parking.

The walk to the castle is gorgeous and you can will be in the midst of some of Argyll steeping, gorgeous glens. I loved the walk around and for us it just adds to the magic of the visit. Your first sight of the castle will leave you feeling awestruck. A solitary, ruined building is a vast, desolate field was a sight to behold.   The path is muddy in parts but is pushchair friendly so if you have a young child you can still make it to the castle.

The castle is now a ruin but this only adds to the spectacle and made it even more stunning. I loved the sheep that roam around the entrance and the fact that you are able to actually get inside and explore.  Often with castle things are cordoned off or cannot be touched but this castle was a treasure trove of nooks and stairways of the children to really hands on. There is a stone pillar in the middle of the courtyard area and the children loved climbing and doing hero poses. The site inside has lots of placards with the history of the castle which I love to read to the little adventurers. I have always personally had a love for history and being able to showcase history hands on for our children is one of my lives desires.  Most of the castle is safe for toddlers and they can run around and explore the castle.  The only time to be wary is the climb to the top tower which was via a steep, narrow staircase. I had Zayn in the back carrier and it was a struggle so be a little careful if you have young children with you.

The views from the top tower are gorgeous and I loved the placard naming all the places that you can see. Its always great to get young children to learn the names of mountains and even for the younger ones like Raihan who cannot read, its easy to get them involved as they are able to see and match it to the pictures.

We were totally awed by the castle and think it was definitely one of the highlights of our trip. Often as we seek adventures it is the more unexpected ones which are the ones that touch our hearts and leave imprints on my memories. We spent nearly two hours and the fiveadventurers had an amazing time here. Highly recommended, this is our hidden gem castle of Scotland.