Castle Campbell

Castle Campbell holds great appeal to me not only for its location but for the memories it evokes. My first visit took place almost entirely by accident. I was staying in Doune in January, in a tiny hotel that had very few guests in the off-season. In the breakfast room one morning, I struck up a conversation with a nearby couple upon realising that they, too, were American. The woman had been involved in a writing course in the Highlands and she and her husband were exploring Scotland a bit before heading back to the US.

As the conversation continued, I was offered a lift back to St Andrews, on the promise that I would provide a personalised tour of the town when we arrived. Along the way, they planned to stop at Castle Campbell – if I wasn’t already convinced, this tipped the scale. Now I suppose there could have been an element of concern here; was this a safe option for a single girl travelling on her own? But something in my gut told me it was just too odd to be anything other than a happy coincidence. A castle-loving American couple chose to stay at the same tiny hotel in Doune, in January?

Fortunately, my gut was correct. They were a lovely couple and we had a great day exploring first Castle Campbell and then St Andrews. And so my first visit to the castle was exterior only, and in the snow. I still recall the drive up the narrow road that eventually reaches a car park – that road has not changed, except that there is likely more traffic on it now.

The approach to the castle is nearly as stunning, meandering through the back roads of Dollar, which is a well-to-do little town with enough old stone houses and charming gardens to make anyone drool. The road is single-track with passing places, and if one is lucky, one can make it most of the way up before encountering another vehicle. With a hill on one side and the gorge of Dollar Glen on the other, the road is harrowing to say the least. I would certainly recommend going either on a week day out of school holidays, or first thing on a Saturday, before the tourists have found their way there (locals, I find, tend to walk up through the glen).

Once you have parked in the upper lot, you are still a good 5 to 10 minutes on foot from the castle, though there are tantalising glimpses of it through the trees. There is a metal farm gate that keeps the sheep inside, and on the other side you will find a sign informing you of the castle history, as well as that of the nearby Tower Trail of medieval tower houses throughout Clackmannanshire.

Here the path diverges – one branch leads straight ahead of you, heading steeply down-hill, while another leads up to the right. I would recommend, in the first instance, making your way up the hill a few hundred feet or so until you can look back over the castle, glen, and the flat land beyond. You can then head back to the main track, which is a steep decline until you reach the burn below.

At the burn you can really see the castle rising out of the foliage, and so it gives one the energy to keep moving. Another up and down brings you to the main castle gate, which was closed for much of lockdown and only re-opened in April 2024. If you are feeling energetic, you can hike up behind the castle and follow a path into the hills, which I did just long enough to get another excellent picture or two; this is also the path to take if you wish to climb to the top of Bank Hill.

If your goal, like mine, includes seeing inside the castle, you need only climb one more short path to reach the main gate, which is set into the castle curtain wall, next to the imposing tower keep. The beautiful tree standing immediately outside makes for a stunning backdrop to pictures, too.

When I last visited, I was the second person through the gate when they opened in the morning, after an equally eager Eastern European tourist. As they so often are, the two gents running the castle for the day were friendly, helpful and knowledgeable, and I had a good long chat to them both about medieval history in general. There is no question that castle stewards appreciate a visiting medievalist!

Castle Campbell, or Castle Gloom as it was known at its inception, dates from the early 1400s, though the benefits of its strategic location suggest it may have been fortified well before that time. One needs only observe the steep hills and deep ravines on either side – in one runs the Burn of Sorrow, the other the Burn of Care – to realise that it would not have been attacked without serious effort, and of course the views make it ideal for watching movements across the flat land below.

First built for the Stewarts of Lorn, the castle transferred to the 1st Earl of Campbell in the late 15th century, and much of it was rebuilt at this time after it suffered a fire and destruction by the Stewarts. By the late Middle Ages, the Campbells had risen to become one of the most powerful clans in the western Highlands, not in part due to their allying with Robert the Bruce during the Wars of Independence.

The keep and inner courtyard are still in excellent condition, and the keep is fully enclosed and can be explored by several spiral staircases. Some unique features include the loggia below, several latrines, a prison, and the well-restored chambers with window alcoves and fireplaces evident. On the first floor of the tower, there is a display on the castle and a diorama of what it may have looked like in its heyday, complete with formal gardens.

It was the second earl who built the south range of apartments – now mostly ruined – as well as the terraced garden below the castle. There is evidence of the architectural style being influenced by the royal castle at Stirling – certainly the castle was designed to demonstrate the wealth and power of the Campbells. In the 1450s and 60s, the earls were a vital part of the royal court, and used Castle Gloom as a stronghold and residence. In 1488, the earl petitioned King James IV to change the name of the castle to Campbell. Not long after, the earl would die alongside his king at Flodden, in 1513.

The loggia which can be seen in the pictures above – beautiful carved columns that stand out as unusual in Scottish castles – was likely added in the late 16th century, mirroring a style seen at the Bishop of St Andrews’ castle. Indeed, while Castle Campbell does not cover a great deal of ground, it includes all the features of castles – intact or partially ruined – that one might expect to see. There are bed chambers, the great hall, foot-worn spiral staircases, cellars for storage, and great recessed windows cut into the walls with which I am always fascinated.

You can climb to the very top of the castle to look out over the countryside, and enjoy the slightly dizzying view down towards the gardens. As one not overly fond of heights, I required a few deep breaths before I ventured to the edge of the parapet. The views are incredible; if you look north the hills disappear into the skyline, if you look south you can see all the way to the edge of the Firth of Forth and the industrial smoke stacks.

The newer parts of the castle, which are also those most in ruin, include two ways to get to the garden; one is out the side door, but the other is through a stone tunnel that emerges onto a grassy bank. The lower garden wall was all in purple when I last visited, and boasted views back up towards the main facade of the great hall, and the tower.

It is easy to imagine well-dressed lords and ladies parading around this terrace, perhaps playing a lawn game, enjoying the flowers and the views. According to the records, the castle saw several important visitors in its day, including (of course) Mary Queen of Scots, who stayed at Castle Campbell in January 1563, and the Protestant reformer, John Knox, who was favoured by the earls.

The Protestant leanings of the earls would lead to the eventual abandonment of the castle; Campbell had crowned King Charles II at Scone, but abruptly switched sides after Oliver Cromwell’s defeat of the Scots at Dunbar in 1650. The castle was used to garrison English soldiers in the early 1650s, and it was badly damaged and burned by the Scots in July 1654. The return of Charles II to the throne in 1661 saw the eldest Campbell executed for treason; his son was restored to the earldom but chose to reside in Stirling and built a house for himself beside Stirling Castle – Argyll’s Lodging.

Over the subsequent few centuries, the area around Dollar became well-known for its beauty, and there is to this day a gorgeous – if at times challenging – trail that can lead you from the town of Dollar, up one side of the glen to the castle, and down the other side (though the top part of the Burn of Care side has been closed for some time due to trail damage). The hike is steep in places, but offers yet more unique views back towards the castle.

I am sure I will write more about the walk in Dollar Glen at another point, but suffice it to say, there is something moving about the castle ruin and the nearby hills.