Some of the many places in the Dalriada Project area worth visiting...
Carnassarie Castle  Built between 1565 and 1572 Carnassarie Castle is at the northern end of Kilmartin Glen. Carnassarie was built by John Carswell who held the lands and the castle on behalf of Archibald Campbell, the 5th Earl of Argyll. Carswell was the Bishop of Argyll and the Isles in the reign of Mary Queen of Scots. The verse above one of the doors reads "'God be with O Duibhne' (the ancient name for the Campbell Chieftains). The castle was badly damaged by the MacLeans and MacLachlans when the 9th Earl of Argyll took part in the Monmouth Rising, a rebellion against King James VII in 1685. You can still climb to the top of the castle and there are magnificent fireplaces and stonework to admire. It is now owned by Historic Scotland. Find Carnassarie Castle on a map.
Kilmartin House MuseumAn award winning world-class centre for archaeology and landscape interpretation established to protect, investigate and interpret this internationally important archaeological landscape and the artefacts that have been found here. There is an on site shop and an award winning café. To find out more, explore the website. Your visit starts with an intense audio-visual experience designed to give you a feeling for the power and beauty of the landscape of Mid Argyll and the layers of history and the memories that lie within it. You can then visit the permanent award winning exhibition, containing ancient artefacts found locally as well as archaeological objects on loan from other Museums. You can also try out some hands-on activities – including quern stones and stone axe polisher! Find Kilmartin on a map.
Back to top Kilmartin Glen  Kilmartin Glen is the broad area surrounding the village of Kilmartin north of Lochgilphead and south of Oban. The Glen is famous for its rich historical legacy. There are at least 350 ancient monuments within six miles of the village, of which around 150 are prehistoric. They include burial cairns, rock carvings, and standing stones, as well as the remains of the fortress of the Scots at Dunadd and three more recent castles. The stone circle at Temple Wood and the standing stones at Nether Largie are both worth visiting and easily accessible. Find Kilmartin Glen on a map. Back to top Dunadd
Dunadd is one of the most significant  monuments in the whole of Scotland. This fort is thought to have been constructed and occupied by the Dál Riata, a group of people who, from at least AD 500, held lands both in Northern Ireland and in Argyll. Dunadd may be the 'caput regionis' the chief place of the region, referred to in the late 7th century manuscript titled the Life of Columba and was probably a royal centre where Scotland's earliest kings were inaugurated. At Dunadd you can see a carved footprint where a king would place his foot during a coronation ceremony. This is in accordance with an Irish tradition. There is also a basin and the outline of a wild boar carved into the rock. Find Dunadd on a map. Back to top  Crinan
The village of Crinan is rather less well known than the Crinan Canal, which enters the Sound
of Jura here. The canal took its name from the original small settlement on the east side of the headland, where the Crinan Ferry landed. Much of what we today call Crinan was known at the time as Port Righ, The Kings' Port and has only come to be known as Crinan since the arrival of the canal. The name itself probably originally comes from the tribe of the Creones, recorded as living in this area on a map drawn in AD140. Find Crinan on a map. Back to top Ardnoe Point  Ardnoe Point overlooks the Crinan Canal, which enters the Sound of Jura here. There are fantastic views across the islands and skerries of the Inner Hebrides. There is a solitary grave on the point, erected in memory of a cholera victim who died aboard a schooner in 1832. Find Ardnoe on a map. Moine Mhor
One of the last wild, raised bogs left in Britain today. The "Great Moss" began to form over 5000 years ago and once covered a vast area. Moine Mhor has a living surface of peatland teeming with a variety of plants and animals all adapted to its waterlogged and acid state. There is a car park about a mile south of Slockavullin on the B8025. A path gives easy access to the north part of the National Nature Reserve Find Moine Mhor on a map. Listen to an audio-cast about the reserve
Back to Top
Knapdale Forest Knapdale Forest is situated in a National Scenic Area and is flanked to the north by the Crinan Canal and to the west by the Sound of Jura and Loch Sween. The name is derived from the Gaelic description of its striking topographical features; Cnap (hill) and Dall (field). The walks, picnic sites and cycle routes within Knapdale are situated close together and are designed to allow access to a variety of habitats and to provide interest and enjoyment to all those who use them. Barnluasgan Interpretation Centre provides the ideal starting point to a visit to Knapdale. The centre has information on all the trails in the forest, "What's on" events, archaeology, history and wildlife of Knapdale. Find Knapdale Forest on a map. Back to top Taynish Nature ReserveThe ancient deciduous woodland at Taynish NNR is host to more than 300 plant species, over 20 kinds of butterfly and a multitude of colourful marine life on the loch shores. Taynish lies on a scenic peninsula overlooking Loch Sween and has an atmosphere all of its own created by the huge variety of plant species and in particular the woodland’s dripping ferns and mosses.  Oak trees have flourished at Taynish for 6000 years or more, a little longer than people have lived here. The woodlands were once a source of timber and charcoal but now form one of Britain’s largest remaining native oakwoods. The reserve has a range of footpaths to suit all abilities including a wheelchair accessible route to the mill. You can walk to the reserve from the car park just south of Tayvallich village. If you want to use the small NNR car park, please drive carefully for a mile down the Taynish road. There is also a bus service from Lochgilphead to Tayvallich. Find Taynish on a map. Listen to an audio-cast about the reserve
Back to top Castle Sween  One of the oldest castles in Scotland, Castle Sween was built by the MacSweens in the 12th century. Believed to be of Norse origin (from the Danish Sueno) the clan held on to the castle until the 14th century. During the medieval period the castle changed hands many times between the MacDonalds, MacNeills, and the MacMillans. The crown placed the castle in the care of the Campbells in 1418 and the castle was finally rendered uninhabitable by the MacDonalds in 1647. It is now managed by Historic Scotland. Castle Sween is approximately 7 miles south of Achnamara. Find Castle Sween on a map
Back to Top 
Kilmory and Keills Kilmory Bay is a beautiful stretch of sand overlooking Jura and Islay. On the footpath to the bay you will find Kilmory Knap Chapel, a small 13th century medieval West Highland church with a collection of carved life-size local grave slabs and the beautiful Macmillan's Cross. Similarly Keills Chapel house a collection of 12th century grave slabs and is situated six miles south of Tayvallich. At the hamlet of Keills there is an old jetty that affords fantastic views over the Sound of Jura. Find Kilmory and Keills on a map Back to Top |
