Castle Tioram

Castle Tioram Details

Castle Tioram, a ruined C13 courtyard castle of the MacDonalds on an island in Loch Moidart, burned and abandoned C17.

  • Closest To: n/a
  • Access: S.O.A.C. Public Access
  • Grid Reference: NM662724

Castle Tioram is a ruined castle on a tidal island by the entrance to Loch Moidart on a remote part of Scotland’s west coast. It is fenced off for safety reasons, and the island itself is only accessible via a sandy spit which rapidly floods with the tide.

The polygonal castle courtyard is almost certainly 13th century in date and was built by the MacRuari clan, cousins of the Macdonalds and Macdougalls. The wall of this courtyard castle was heightened and a small tower keep was added, probably in the 14th or early 15th century, by which time the lands of the MacRuaris had been granted to Clanranald. The castle remained a major power centre for the Clanranald into the early Jacobite period, when it was abandoned and then garrisoned by government forces. In 1715 it was assaulted and burned out, and although plans to refurbish it were drawn up post Culloden, they were never actioned, and the castle remained in ruins.  More recent attempts to get planning permission to restore the castle have proved controversial locally.

Official Castle Tioram Trust website

HES Canmore database entry

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