Click on the photo to see a larger version.

Carnasserie Castle

Carnasserie was built between 1565 and 1572 and is a beautiful,
relatively well preserved, small castle.
While stopped at a wee gift shop not far from here,
Pam and I asked the clerk how far it was to Carnasserie.
She looked at us blankly, so we repeated ourselves, adding, "you know, the castle."
"You mean the ruins?" she asked.
As we nodded vigorously, she added, "Och, I never go to the ruins."
I'm pretty sure our mouths fell open.
Never go to the ruins?!
We'd come across an ocean to see those ruins!
Luckily, "the ruins" were just a short way down the road
and we quickly found the car park...just as it started to rain.

When you arrive at Carnasserie the car park is down in the valley
and you've got to climb over a stile and walk up
a small ben/large hill to the castle.
You walk right through someone's sheep pasture.
We were there in lambing season and these two little cuties
watched us for quite awhile.

As you near the top of the small ben/large hill you
begin to glimpse Carnasserie through the bare trees.
This picture really doesn't do it justice. It was an inspiring view!

This is round the opposite side from the previous picture.
There is some evidence that an earlier structure stood close to
the current castle so, using my poetic license,
or perhaps it's my novelist's license, I set my much earlier "Kilmartin Castle"
in The Devil of Kilmartin on this lovely site.