Kilmartin Castle

9.8Kilmartin, Argyll, Scotland

Exclusive Use

You can have the venue to yourself, sleeps 10 guests in 5 rooms.

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Weddings

You can get married at this venue.

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Imaginatively restored 16th-century castle on Scotland's west coast

After 200 years of abandonment, 500-year-old Kilmartin Castle was expertly restored and beautifully refurbished, and is now open for you to enjoy. We'd recommend it for walkers, nature-lovers and groups of families and friends alike.

See inside Kilmartin Castle

Our virtual tour gives you the opportunity to explore Kilmartin Castle for yourself!

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The Castle

Kilmartin Castle can be hired privately, sleeping up to ten guests in five bedrooms. The castle is sold on a self-catering basis, but a chef can be arranged for one or more nights of your stay. It's a great place for celebrations or gatherings with friends and family.

Inside you'll see Kilmartin Castle combines a traditional Scottish feel with lots of unique touches from owners Simon and Stef. A glimpse through the gallery lower down the page is a good way to get a feel for yourself and really take in the attention to detail.

The five luxury en-suite bedrooms are all individually designed. Our highlight was The Speel which combines exposed stonework with cosy dark blue lime painted walls. It is full of natural light and the skylight in the vaulted ceiling gives you a glimpse of the sky and trees above. After a day exploring the Scottish countryside, you won't want to get out of the copper bathtub!

Bedroom 1
Bedroom 2
Bedroom 3
Bedroom 4

The grand hall is a fabulous place to gather around the fire. A HD projector allows you to pull down a hidden screen and enjoy a movie together.. And you'll love the stone barrel-vaulted ceiling in the dining room; a strong reminder you're inside a 16th-century castle!

The Great Hall
The Dining Room

The castle's kitchen is equipped with all the modern amenities you can expect from a first-class Scottish self-catering venue. Facilities include, but are not limited to, a cooker, kettle, toaster, coffee maker, etc.

History

Kilmartin Castle was originally built in 1550 for John Carswell, Rector of Kilmartin Glen and later Bishop of The Isles, where he lived for around 15 years before moving to his new residence at Carnasserie Castle (now ruined), just 1.5 miles north of Kilmartin.

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The castle was passed to and held by the Campbell Clan, one of the largest and most powerful of the Highland clans. After many years in the hands of the Campbell Clan, the castle was abandoned and left to rack and ruin for well over 200 years.

In October 2019, following an extensive refurbishment and some much needed TLC, Kilmartin Castle opened its doors as a luxury bed and breakfast castle.

Leisure

Kilmartin Castle is set in the heart of Kilmartin, a small village in Argyll and Bute, Western Scotland, best known as the centre point of Kilmartin Glen, an area with one of the richest concentrations of prehistoric monuments and historical sites in all of Scotland.

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Kilmartin Glen is the location of several important Neolithic, Bronze Age and Iron Age sites, including henge monuments, burial cairns, chambered cairns and standing stones, so there is no shortage of sites to keep your inner history buff busy during your time at the castle!

Location

The ruins of Carnasserie Castle, again built for John Carswell, can be seen just 1.5 miles north of Kilmartin. Largely complete, though roofless, its architecture is notably refined considering it has been abandoned for well over 300 years.

Prices

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March 2025
April 2025
May 2025
June 2025

Location

Kilmartin Castle is approx 2.5 hours' drive from Glasgow or 3 hours' drive from Edinburgh. Once you've left the cities behind, the journey is quite picturesque and includes a trip through the wooded glens and quiet lochs of Trossachs National Park.

Reviews

9.8

Graham , United KingdomJust stunning. Awesome renovation which has maintained the authentic feel of the 16th Century castle. Warm (even when -3 deg outside), and homely, filled with eclectic artworks and quirky furnishings. This is a truly amazing place for a party of 10. From the exposed stonework inside to the landscaped surroundings and Glasshouse, outside catering area and wild swimming pool, everything has been thought through to give guests a magical experience. Each bedchamber is unique with en-suite rainfall showers, ceramics and toiletries. The Grand Hall is homely with its large wood burner, lighting, sound system and AV projector. A place to relax as a group. Even the outside loos are a feature in themselves complete with mini wood burner for chilly nights. Check out the cisterns! The owners have created a romantic hideaway. The well-deserved accolades keep coming. We couldn’t fault the generosity of the owners Simon and Stef. All our needs on arrival were provided…essential kitchen foodstuffs (eggs, bread etc). Fires are ready to be lit. At check in important information such as use of ovens etc was given. A local piper was found to welcome our guests…who were all blown away with their stay. Thank you Stef and Simon for a memorable experience. And to Celtic Castles for all your help during the booking process. You were attentive to our needs and made the whole process easy to use.
Private GuestThanks you so much for the heart-warming, life-changing experience - it was even better than we hoped for, loved it so much - and all your wonderful experience guides! You've created an amazing place.
Private GuestWe started in the early spring to plan a tour of the UK in the fall. One thing we knew we wanted to do was stay overnight in a castle, one that felt like a real castle. After searching the internet for some time, we found Kilmartin Castle, which was perfect. However, the only thing available for the months of Sept or Oct was for 1 night in the smallest room. We planned the rest of our trip around that one night - and we weren't disappointed! The atmosphere - great detail was given in keeping everything in period, yet comfortable! Delicious food, beautiful grounds, delightful host & hostess & other fun guests!
Private GuestWe love an interesting or quirky place to stay. We regularly visit Kilmartin as a day trip, but fancied staying overnight for a change. The decor was exceptional, from the light switches to the door furniture. I was delighted to see there was no TV in the room. If you want to watch TV, while staying in a castle, with over 350 ancient sites on your doorstep, you're doing it wrong. Simo & Stef supply coffee and loose leaf tea, with fresh milk, in the room. They even have their own brand of coff The castle is beautifully restored by the current owners. Our room had a vaulted ceiling and lovely en-suite with sliding barn door and walk in 'rain' shower. Breakfast options (inc. vegan) were fab.

Gallery