Castle Campbell

Out walking on the Ochils this afternoon we pass Castle Campbell at the head of Dollar Glen.

This Lowland stronghold for a Highland chief never ceases to impress me.

My visitors are always in awe of it for this imposing ruin stands in isolation on a narrow ridge overlooked by a crescent of the Ochil Hills.

Even on a summers day with the sun shining it looks sinister. In mid- winter, like today, it is positively creepy.


On either side it is hemmed in by two precipitous ravines through which pass the Burn of Care and the Burn of Sorrow.


Built in the early 15th it was called "Castle Glume".

According to Historic Scotland, who now run it, the castle passed in 1465 through marriage to Colin Campbell, 1st Earl of Argyll.

This powerful Highland chief needed a secure but impressive Lowland seat at the heart of the realm, within easy reach of the main centres of the royal court. Castle Glume fitted the bill perfectly. In 1489, the earl changed the name to Castle Campbell. And there the Campbells stayed for the next 200 years, until they tired of all those steps and relocated to Argyll's Lodging, a fine townhouse beside Stirling Castle.


The Castle is open every day, apart for Christmas Day and News Years Day and it's very popular for weddings.

Unfortunately it no longer has a cafe.