TOP 10 ROMANTIC RUINS

For a thrilling encounter with history, fall in love with a crumbling castle or tumbledown church this spring, swoons Dixe Wills

- For a thrilling encounter with history, fall in love with a crumbling castle or tumbledown church this spring, swoons Dixe Wills

Kilchurn Castle

Argyll and Bute

On the far north-eastern shore of Loch Awe you will find a small hummock cradled by mountains. On the hummock stands ruined Kilchurn Castle, an ancient and ramshackle tower that wonderfully complements the natural beauty of its surroundings.

Originally built on a very small isle, the castle served as the headquarters of the Campbells of Glenorchy from the mid1400s to the close of the 16th century. The island was joined to the shore just a couple of hundred years ago, when adjustments to the loch's outflow led to a drop in the water level.

This means you can now stroll out to the castle while enjoying views down one of Scotland's most scenic freshwater lochs.

Kilchurn fell out of use soon after the Second Jacobite Rebellion, its demise hastened by a lightning strike in 1769 that took out its roof. Today, the castle opens from April to September. Visit at either end of that period and there'll be fewer midges about, which may help with any air of romance you might wish to cultivate.

Do look for a lintel dated 1693 and bearing the initials of power couple the First Earl of Breadalbane and Countess Mary Campbell. The Earl was known as 'Slippery John' for his political chicanery and was said to own the finest wig in Scotland.

How could Mary resist? historicenvironment.scot

Ynys Llanddwyn

Ynys Môn