Dunstaffnage Castle and Chapel

Dunstaffnage Castle 4mi/6.4km north of Oban stands guard on a rock over the entrance to Loch Etive. The three round towers and the walls, in places 10ft/3m thick, date from the 15th C when the castle belonged to the Campbell clan, while the residential tower was built in the 17th century. The cannon on the ramparts was salvaged from a Spanish galleon that sank in Tobermory Bay.

A few yards further on, the ruins of a 13th C chapel deserve special attention, as several early Scottish monarchs are said to be buried here alongside members of the Campbell family. At one time it was thought that Dunstaffnage was the capital of the Scottish kingdom of Dal Riata but that theory has now been discounted.