Duart Castle

Duart Castle is a must-see for fans of history, architecture, and wildlife. The historical presentations and family collection are thoughtfully curated. My husband and I renewed our wedding vows here: the two ladies in charge of visitors also helped with our ceremony and were a pure delight beginning to end. What drew us to this location was not just it's rich history but how devoted the Clan Maclean has been in lovingly restoring and preserving their ancestral home. Not many 12th century castles achieve such a triumphant return from ruin. Guests should remember this castle is an actual residence; on-going maintenance is a given and shouldn't be complained about! The website makes it easy to buy admission tickets to visit inside the castle (which are quite inexpensive) and hours are clearly stated. Grounds are wonderful for hiking, bird, and sea watching. We'll be back!

Superb castle in an incredible location. Very fairly priced and we loved the presentation of the rooms and the information provided. Very strong sense of history and insight in to some of the key past events at this magnificently restored castle. Excellent tea rooms and easy parking a very much appreciated bonus

Wife and i renewed our vows here. One of the oldest inhabited castles. Its history is amazing. Must see for castle goers. Anyone appreciative of castles can easily look past the scaffolding needed to ensure this lasts another 800 years.

Stopped here to pass some time before our evening crossing back to the mainland and found that we had stumbled upon a fascinating castle with lots to learn and enjoy - from the great value castle entry to the impressive situation above the sea and lovely café serving homemade food. Inside the castle there is something for everyone - those that read all the information, those that like to “see” the artefacts and those that just want to explore the building oozing with - on occasion - slightly morbid history and observe the amazing (and ongoing) restoration work. Outside the castle, we walked the grounds down to the rocky beach (don’t upset your spouse or you may find yourself left on lady’s rock to perish) and the millennium wood for a shady stroll among the replanted woodland. Highly recommend.

A fantastic day out! The castle is very impressive with a great history the tour is very good with lots of information. The owner of the castle was there to speak with us with was a lovely experience. The cafe and gift shop were great. The service from the young girl in the cafe was brilliant. We will definitely be back.

I have visited a few times and always find something new to look at. The Laird is often wandering around and interacting with visitors and always interesting to chat to. Staff very informative and chatty. The castle and grounds are amazing and on-site cafe very good . Nice to see last time with the scaffolding down after renovation work.

Surprisingly interesting history inside! The castle has been restored and is more of a house than a castle now, but is still nice to walk around. There's also a nice route below the castle.

Currently under some construction to maintain the upkeep of the castle. Gorgeous. Gentleman was inside talking about the castle, I recall he said his father lives there. I visited because my grandfather was a McLean and talked about this location. View is amazing. Castle you can walk through and it has interesting set up and a jail cell you can walk into. Outstanding. Will be back to see it when it's completely finished

Clan MacLean is part of my family tree, and visiting the ancestral castle was a magical experience. I was deeply moved by the castle's commitment to preserving and teaching about the clan history, but also by the clear efforts to provide outreach and a central meeting point to the wider MacLean family around the world. Displays throughout the castle and grounds were educational, interesting, and connected historical events to living generations. Meeting Sir Lachlan, the current chief of the castle, was a highlight; he was so generous with his time and so funny! His dedication to creating a meaningful connection to ancestry was evident and moving. We heard from another couple who had been on their way to the castle on foot, and a car had pulled over and offered them a ride, and it was Sir Lachlan on his way back from running an errand in town. If you're part Maclean, and visiting Duart to connect with this part of your heritage--yes, do it, highly encouraged; I also have to recommend staying at the lovely Pennygate Lodge in Craignure when you do. I met a distant relation who was also staying at Pennygate to finally see the family castle, we had a lovely chat, and I felt like part of a century-long goal to create a massive family-reunion had come true! You're also missing out if you don't get a pint at the Craignure Inn, and ask the locals if they have any stories to share about the castle or Sir Lachlan. Hilarious castle stories at the local pub was the perfect way to end a magnificent trip.

Cooler castle than I was expecting with lots of rooms to explore and a great view at the top. Only unexpected downside was how much worship of the MacLeans you had to wade through on the inside. The unexpected upsides outweighed that with a very nice tea room (the Victorian sponge cake was genuinely amazing) and a much-better-than-expected coastal walk around the castle with both impressive views of the castle itself and the surrounding area. We came here as a way to entertain the kids during a drive through the mountains parts of Mull for us to take in the amazing Scottish scenery. We had low expectations, but were really pleasantly surprised. The castle tour was both informative and had some really impressive rooms to enjoy. We wish we had more time to read everything, but small kids (4 and 7) give you limited time to stay put and read. My wife did wind up buying books about Mary Queen of Scots to learn more after we left though. The top of the castle had really impressive views, but the walls were high enough that I had tp lift both of the kids up to see. The views from one of the rooms in the castle looking out over the bay were really impressive though without needing to lift anyone up. After exploring the castle, we went to the tea room, where the kids got hot chocolate while we had espresso and Victorian sponge cake. The Victorian sponge cake is among the best desserts we've had on our trip in Scotland and we've been looking for more of it ever since we had it. The we took a long, nice walk down toward the water and around the castle with great views and some pretty cool stretches of walking through weird fern forests that were tall enough to even block my views at times.

So, I arrived at Duart Castle only to discover that it was closed for the winter. This should've been a major disappointment, but I went ahead and explored the castle with my brother anyway. Before I go any further, I should say that we did NOT break into the place. We just explored the castle grounds. After photographing the outside of the castle and soaking in the view, I notice that my brother had followed a path down towards the water near what appeared to be an old boat landing. He waved me down, so I headed in his direction. It was then I discovered that the path he took down there was back near the car park and I wasn't interested in going back a way that I had come. I was exploring I wanted to forge ahead, so... I did. I followed some elite hill side sheep down a very unstable side of the castle. This path, while perfect for ninja sheep, was not very friendly to an overweight Scot/Russian like me and I had to grab handfuls of moss and what I hope were small balls of dirt. (I know that elite hill side ninja sheep would never move their bowels on their path, right???) After stabilizing myself and visualizing falling down the steep hill side (much like Wesley did in The Princess Bride) I got a secure footing and slowly scaled down the path. Once I met up with my brother we began a futile search for something he called "the Plague." I was excited to see this "Plague" which he hypothesized was a some sort of building or box for isolating victims of the Black Plague. Well, after about 30 minutes of searching for it and not finding anything I decided to snap some more photos of the beautiful landscape and head back to the car park. We both slogged back through some sort of island quick mud that attempted to take our shoes (No wonder they close the castle for the winter.), and made it to the map of the castle grounds. My brother pointed out the spot of the map that had the mysterious "Plague" building and I had a nice and hearty laugh at his inability to differentiate a "g" from a "q". He had been referring to the plaque marking the shipwreck on the side of the island. So, this proves you can have a great little adventure at Duart Castle without ever entering the castle itself.

Well, you can't visit Tobermory without visiting a castle or two and we heard nothing but good things about this one so off we popped. After a very scenic drive on the maze of singletrack road's we approached the castle and the wonderful views that surround it. This is where the downside comes in, sadly the castle was undergoing works and so most of the outside was covered in scaffolding this slightly spoiled the photos but not one for giving in we ventured inside. Now the price tag is not cheap but you soon discover why, the inside is amazing with 3 floors of artifacts perfectly designed to give a look that will take you back to when it was a fortress. There is also masses of information and the views from the top are stunning, beware there are a few stairs to climb but nothing like keeping up your fitness. Once you have finished, the shop and cafe are a must visit, the food is wonderful and I would highly recommend staying for a bite. Overall it's defo worth a day out to, especially if the weather is perfect.

I have always wanted to live in a castle, and when I came here, it is exactly the one I want! It's nice and small (for a castle) and is cosy and warm (ish, obviously still quite draughty!) It has areas that are lived in, and area that are museum-y, and it has the most stunning views imaginable over cliffs and the sea. I will upload some pictures later, and if your lucky the really bad watercolour I did there too! Also you can get a great tea here after all the strenous walking about!

Stunning views approaching, and on arrival at castle. The castle inside is great with interesting facts etc. Lovely wee cafe and gift shop. Also has a good display on hte top floor of the Cubs/Scout movement. Great wee castle to explore.

Duart Castle is a magical 13th century fortress, brought back to life 100 years ago by Sir Fitzroy Maclean. Today, it is the home of his great grandson and Chief of the Clan Maclean, Sir Lachlan Maclean.