Kilchurn Castle, Loch Awe, a photo from Argyll and Bute, Scotland

Photographer's Note

Kilchurn Castle (pronounced in Scotland as "Kil-hurn") lies on an outcrop of land at the northeast end of Loch Awe and was the ancestral home of the Campbells of Glen Orchy, who later became the Earls of Breadalbane, also known as the Breadalbane family branch, of the Clan Campbell. The earliest construction on the castle was the towerhouse and Laich Hall (which looks here onto Loch Awe). Today, its picturesque setting and romantic state of decay apparently make it one of the most photographed structures in Scotland. But this was the first time that I can actually recall having seen it although I must have passed it on several occasions in the past and have certainly seen other photographs of it.

It is quite common to find a castle that started life as a stronghold before being converted over the years to first a comfortable, then a showcase, home: or which was abandoned in favour of a nearby fine house when the struggle of conversion became too much trouble and defence was no longer a priority.

But Kilchurn Castle evolved in a slightly different way. It was built in about 1450 by Sir Colin Campbell, first Lord of Glenorchy, and it started life as a five storey tower house with a courtyard defended by an outer wall. By about 1500 an additional range and a hall had been added to the south side of the castle. Further buildings went up during the 1500s and 1600s.

Not often appreciated today is that when built, Kilchurn was on a small island in Loch Awe scarcely larger than the castle itself. Most sources suggest it was accessed via an underwater or low lying causeway.

Kilchurn's development started to take an unusual turn in 1681. In that year, Sir John Campbell of Glenorchy was made first Earl of Breadalbane. His aim by 1689 was to take advantage of the turbulence that saw William and Mary become joint sovereigns. To this end he spent much of the 1690s converting Kilchurn Castle into a modern barracks capable of housing 200 troops. This saw the addition of a three storey L-shaped block along the north side of the castle.

By 1698 the Government had begun to convert Fort William into a stone fort from the wooden structure that had been placed at the head of Loch Linnhe in 1690. Whatever Sir John Campbell's real intentions in converting Kilchurn Castle, they were overtaken by the establishment of Fort William.

The Castle was used as a Government garrison during the 1715 and 1745 Jacobite Rebellions: but the family's efforts to sell it to the Government were unsuccessful. They left in 1740 and moved to Taymouth Castle in eastern Scotland, to spend their time developing their Perthshire estates. In 1760 the castle was badly damaged by lightning and was completely abandoned. It is now in the care of Historic Scotland.

When I saw this place early yesterday afternoon, it was horribly misty and cloud hung around the mountains to the north of Loch Awe. If you look at Map:view you will see where I was standing to take this picture, the castle lying northwest of this position. I was ankle deep in mud and bog and there was "smirring" rain, not very heavy but quite enough to cover my ND grad filter sufficiently to cause several images to be totally unusable, so this is probably the best of a bad bunch with (hopefully) most of the raindrops cloned out.

bayno, hidibyendu, cargus, RhodieIke, Royaldevon, annjackman, annjackman, CLODO, delpeoples, Kofman, Glint, jester5, saxo042, holmertz, ourania, brianmcc, jjcordier, macjake, Ricx, angel66, Sonata11 has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

divail (8334) 2012-03-01 18:39

Bonsoir John,
Quel point de vue superbe! Une grande photo bien présentée, avec une lumière très particulière, de beaux reflets, et un superbe château en ruines en prime. C'est vraiment magnifique.

Diane

npecanhuk (79329) 2012-03-01 18:41

Hi John!
Very attractive picture!
With the fog and management of light you have created such a wonderful mysterious and magical mood here!
I love the reflections!
TFS - congrats,
Cheers,
Neyvan

bayno (18348) 2012-03-01 20:14

Ciao Giovanni,
What a sight, despite the adverse climate you managed to take an image of wonderful, beautiful colors and reflections, a landscape that looks something out of a fairy tale, a perfect exposure and a great job in PP,
FANTASTIC!!!!
greetings, from Goa's beach...
Valter

SnapRJW (31631) 2012-03-01 20:47

Oh John .... I am so jealous, I had a look on the map and saw where you were and wanted to be there too! Magical, mystical Scotland and so beautifully presented in this shot. The mist, the soft colour, the bare trees and the castle. What more could one wish for as a subject. I love your image, apart from being an excellent composition and well managed there is a very nice soft diffused quality to the light and that atmosphere is so Scottish. Of particular note - the slice of bank with trees has the most lovely colour and lighting and adds both depth and contrast to the shot. Lovely, lovely work. Warm regards Rosemary
PS I see an F22, any degradation do you think. I'm going to do a test on my lenses

hidibyendu (929) 2012-03-01 21:26

Hi John,
Really an awesome picture this is!!
Beautiful use of light here. Fogs are looking nice here. Nice reflections in the water. And that small building added flavor to this photo.
Dibyendu.

cargus (13363) 2012-03-01 21:46

Spectaculaire composition, de belles couleurs, bien encadré et rendu, image bien fait.!!
Cordialement
Adrian

JFS (32459) 2012-03-01 21:52

Hi John,
You have captured the soul of Scotland, It makes me remember my visit there. Wonderful shot of delicious mood and colors. Lovely POV, excellent quality.

Have a good day!
Cheers,
Juan

ifege (32015) 2012-03-01 22:19

A superb atmospheric photo John with great winter hues.
cheers
Ian

emka (152072) 2012-03-01 22:58

Hi John, It seems to me one tof the most beautiful Scottish castles. I knew about it before my trip, but with the bad bus transportation in Scotland it was impossiblre for me to go there. With the mist and filter and I do not know what more you got wonderful effect. Excellent mysterious and romantic photo.
Marvelous!
Warm regrads

Malgo

RhodieIke (11752) 2012-03-01 23:04

Wow John, Well worth a spot of dampness to produce such a fantastic scene of this Loch and Kilchurn Castle. You can see this scene hundreds of years ago with the wars and things going on around this rugged landscape. Wonderful, love it, the colours are splendid. Well done, Cheers Iain.

wolf38 (30) 2012-03-01 23:42

Hi John. Scotland in winter. A really peaceful feeling. Best composition, beautiful colors. Overall, an attractive photo. Compliment. Rgds, Wolfgang.

annjackman (23019) 2012-03-01 23:43

Hello John,
The poor weather conditions have helped to give a super picture. It has all the misty light qualities I associate with a 'boggy' Scotland. The castle is perfectly placed and the trees are wonderfully isolated against the misty background.
A interesting note as usual from you.
Best wishes, Ann

dta (98518) 2012-03-01 23:47

Hello John ,
The perfect scottish atmosphere of an haunted castle ! The composition is excellent , with the fine reflections in the FG , and the misty hills in the BG .
Regards

Royaldevon (75244) 2012-03-01 23:49

Hello John,

The story of the castle was interesting and, as is with most castles, it's fortumes ebbed and flowed.

Your photograph is really beautiful; with the brown tones, it takes an the aura of an old print, a little sepia in nature. In adddition, the surrounding mist produces the impression of vignetting, so the whole shot has an antique character. When you add to that, the fine composition, the attractive reflections, the good dof and the whole mysterious nature, you have a great shot.

This is one for my favourites.

Have a good day,
Bev :-)

CLODO (45094) 2012-03-01 23:58

Hello John

Romantic atmosphere due to the pale hues of the background, and the still water which reflects the bare trees.
Greetings
CLODO

smarcell (19965) 2012-03-02 0:20

A very beautiful atmosphere in a perfectly composed image. Reflection, still water, mist, and the castle: all the ingredients for a scottish landscape.
Regards
Stefano

lousat (129839) 2012-03-02 1:05

Hi John,what a spectacle!!I like this perfect cloudy atmosphere for taking a pic of this place,super details and colors despite the difficult light and very interesting place too.Have a nice weekend and thanks,Luciano.

delpeoples (60326) 2012-03-02 2:17

Ciao dear Giovanni

Ahh so this is where you've gone AWOL to! You've become a Highlander! And you think this is the best of a bad bunch, you're happily mistaken - this shot is awesome. It has everything you could possibly want in a phot: excellent light management, colours, sharpness and exquisite composing. But above all, it has captured the atmosphere, all the romance and tragedy that the Highlands evoke. A stunning shot and certainly the most beautiful photo I've seen all week.

Congratulations, un abbraccio
Lisa

GiovanniG (3850) 2012-03-02 2:25

Hi John,
Wonderful composition! The pov and dof could not be better. I love the muted colors and the mist in the air.
Well done on this difficult to capture subject. Bravo John!
Warmest regards,
GiovanniG

timecapturer (49288) 2012-03-02 3:47

Wow John!
this is wonderful. It should be gracing a wall in a gallery - it is so picturesque and atmospheric. A stunning execution, composition and truly artistic presentation. Glorious!

Have a great weekend - Brian.

Glint (6171) 2012-03-02 7:32

Hello John,
this is a beauty with an interesting note too.A nicely balanced composition with the castle sitting at the thirds line. Despite the mist there is colour provided by the winter grass. DOF has been afforded by the reflection of the trees.I like the atmosphere.
Interesting too as my son has recently bought an Orkney long liner boat to fish this loch. At present it sits on our drive until later in the spring when he'll find moorings.
best regards,
Bev

saxo042 (38078) 2012-03-02 8:42

Hi John,
This is a very beautiful picture! The trees are perfectly reflected in the water and the old castle adds interest. The colours are very soft and subdued. This is a very harmonic composition and the long note is also very interesting. I must add this photo to my favourites!
Kind regards
Gunnar

holmertz (92736) 2012-03-02 8:58

Hello John,
This is a delightful composition, getting very near perfection. The position of the romantic castle, well balanced by the trees, the reflections, the discreet colours - they are all absolutely stunning.
Kind regards,
Gert

romanaa (8310) 2012-03-02 9:11

Hello John,

wow, what a beautiful shot. Not even an excellent composition, stunning reflection, but the misty contemplative mood is what absolutely takes my breath away.

Brilliant, I am adding it to my favs.
Bravo

Best wishes

Romana

PS. The camera I have been waiting for is in CR... might touch it on Monday. :-)

agjika (3177) 2012-03-02 9:54

Hi John,
What have we got here! Absolutely superb. No more need to be typed I would rather watch it for a bit longer.

Congratulations

Aleks

ourania (51103) 2012-03-02 10:37

Hello John,
this is a wonderful picture, composed and lit in a marvellous and sensitive way. I love the depth, the subtle reflections and the variations of the light. The misty background and the beautiful view make a fascinating, fairytale picture, a magical atmosphere. Congratulations and thank you!
All the best, have a lovely weekend,
Ourania

chawax (20764) 2012-03-02 10:50

Hi John,
A loch, a castle and fog, that's a typically scottish atmosphere ! I love the POV you chose and the reflections in the lake. Very well done !
Regards,
Olivier

Ber (8242) 2012-03-02 10:59

Hi John,
Really an awesome picture this is. The castle is perfectly placed and the trees are wonderfully isolated against the misty background.
regards

brianmcc (6221) 2012-03-02 12:21

hi john,
it may have been a bit of a grey day but you really captured a superbly atmospheric image. there is a wonderfully smooth quality to the picture, maybe as a reult of the mist and low cloud. the colours are still nicely saturated, especially the golden browns on the left. the still water has resulted in great reflections of the trees, while you have positioned the castle perfectly to the right of the trees. this is a wonderful composition.
regards,
brian

jjcordier (79299) 2012-03-03 0:09

John
Cette photo est vraiment superbe. Très belle composition, très beaux tons d'image et jolie atmosphère créée par la brume.
Amicalement
JJ

MJR (3360) 2012-03-03 3:08

John
Looks like we were both struggling with the elements in pursuit of our craft this w/e !

Congrats on 60 points - but you can see why. Its a corker !

The colours, reflections, composition, all serve to convey the mood of a cold wintry day in Scotland, whether it be today or 500 yrs ago, you can imagine the scene to be similar.

Except, where has the water gone. This looks like the castle is still on an island, but your map view shows this clearly not to be the case, by some 100s of yards.

Nice work. You are lucky to be 100 miles nearer here than we, it is a beautiful part of the world.

regards
Martin

Silvio1953 (205519) 2012-03-03 7:49

Ciao John, fascinating composition with lovely castle in BG, fascinating reflections, splendid light and colors, very well done my friend, have a good week end, ciao Silvio

notrap (7812) 2012-03-03 9:43

Hello John,
landscape at its best! Beautiful combination of golden brown and grey.
Have a nice weekend,
Elvira

macjake (96157) 2012-03-04 4:36

Hi John
great shot my friend!
the effort paid off, hope your shoes are still useable after standing in that bog! haha
love the reflections, and how those same reflections are interrupted by the grass.
the castle is perfectly placed in the frame.
wonderful atmosphere, and probably one of your best posts yet :)
cheers
craig

mesutilgim (0) 2012-03-04 8:59

Hello Johm, I'd missed this great capture of your recent entries.
Everything here is just perfect ! It has the taste of a medieval oil canvas.
TFS and best regards
MESUT ILGIM

Ricx (13495) 2012-03-04 14:10

Hi John. just goes to show that great photographers dont have to wait for the sun to come out to create a stunning image.. The Castler adds a mystic dimension to the image.. but its the trees and the Braken contrasting against the dark tree trunbks and branches that makes it speciall. I see you are getting to some wonderful places in your free days.. ..

Ricx

PS always welcome down Soth - dont need an invitation .. and any way the Red Lion has reopened and thus I need an excuse.. so come down soon.. Have been Lucky The Great OAK has been exquiste for two evenings in a row.

thebest (4276) 2012-03-04 14:30

Hello John,

Your photo is beautiful!!
I love reflections & the Autumn/Winter colours - the mist with the old ruins ' castle ' is a nice touch... It is a great shot I love it!!!

Kindest regards,
Dawn.

angel66 (1006) 2012-03-06 7:06

Hi John
very suggestive shot and great PP! You are also very brave to take photos in such condition! :) But your effort was worth seeing the result. Very high stand standard. Bravo
Ps: must put it in my favourite
Have a nice day
Ciao
Giuliana

LondonBoy (1952) 2012-03-08 14:38

John,

I love this composition as it depicts all the allure and mysticism (and mist :-) of Scotland. The reddish-coppery browns actually make the landscape look quite warm. Excllent POV, sharpness, saturation and very useful note. TFS and have a great weekend ahead.

Alex

Sonata11 (34119) 2012-03-26 20:48

Hello John,
This view of this castle is striking beautiful. Colors, sharpness, clarity , an excellent POV. Breathtaking panorama of this place wonderfully, flawlessly executed. This is wondrous photo to look at with pleasure. Excellent work. I love it.
All the best,
Barbara

mmohan (744) 2012-05-01 13:39

Hi John,
I have always wanted to go here but never made it this far. I find this shot well balanced, with nice colours. I think you could make it even better if you lighten the mist a little more, have you tried?
Regards,
Manoj

adidas5nb (5743) 2013-04-27 7:10

fantastic landscape captured.like the curves involved and the reflection on the water.nice colors,and the castle looks mysterious.
regards
dwaipayan