The village of Lochranza, though lesser known than the resort villages of Brodick and Lamlash, is still one of the most scenic places to be in all of Scotland. The place is renowned for more than just the fine whisky of its famed distilleries- the hills of Lochranza abound with deer, and on the shores of the Loch Ranza (from which the village takes its name), some 15 miles north of Brodick, stands the ruins of the ancient Lochranza Castle.

The Lochranza Castle was a tower house built early in the thirteenth century, when it was owned by the Clan Sweeny. It is believed that Robert the Bruce landed at Lochranza in 1306 on his return form Ireland to claim the Scottish throne. By 1371, the castle has become the property of Robert II, and in the 16th century it was almost completely rebuilt. It was occupied in 1614 by troops of James VI, and in 1650 by the forces of Oliver Cromwell. In 1705, the Castle was purchased by the Duchess of Hamilton, but became abandoned and fell into disrepair later in the eighteenth century. But even in its present ruinous state, the imposing, brooding castle still dominates the southern side of the Loch, standing aloof on a curved shingle spit that stretches into the water.

The Lochranza Castle has had a rich and varied past. In its time, it has been used as a royal hunting lodge, as a military base of operations… and even, according to some, as the inspiration behind the now-fabled castle of the The Black Island of the adventures of the eponymous Tintin. No one may know for sure, of course. That is a question best left to the opinions of those who go see it for themselves. For them, the Lochranza Castle still waits, forsaken, forbidding, but still-proud reminder of a distant past, nested amidst the still waters, rolling green hills and the fierce, jagged mountains of Lochranza.
Image: Flickr