Argyll & The Isles – ghostly goings on
Ghost stories are at their best in the darker winter months, so what better time to stay in a haunted castle? Check in to the Caithness Room at the very top of Barcaldine Castle near Oban, a luxurious bedroom that comes with a dressing room in the turret, French antique furniture – and the ghost of Donald Campbell, laird of Barcaldine, who was viciously slain by his enemy Stewart of Appin in the 1600s. Dare you turn the light out?
Further south, Dunadd Fort stands sentry above Kilmartin Glen and was once the crowning-place of kings. Here, each new ruler of Dal Riata (the ancient Gaelic kingdom of western Scotland) was blessed by an abbot from Iona as they placed their foot inside a rock imprint. This ancient footprint can still be seen – and stood in – at the fort’s summit to this day.
