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 mid-1400s 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?
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For ridiculously gorgeous views of the castle and loch, book yourself into the Tower of Glenstrae, built in 1895 as a ‘gentleman’s residence’ in the Scottish Baronial style.
towerofglenstrae.net
Ynys Llanddwyn Ynys Môn
Those outside Wales may not realise that St Valentine isn’t the only kid on the block when it comes to affairs of the heart; the Welsh have their own holy being in charge of romantic love, St Dwynwen, whose day is 25 January. And Ynys Llanddwyn (‘the island of the church of Dwynwen’) off the coast of Anglesey is the isle she made her home back in the fifth century, following a love affair that didn’t work out.
Dwynwen began to dispense advice on romantic love to those who visited her hermitage. Such was her efficacy as an agony aunt that couples came from far and wide to seek her counsel. Today, couples pay homage to her at the scant ruins of the chapel built on the site of her cell by Benedictine monks. Whil
