Ardstinchar Castle

Ardstinchar Castle was built by Hugh Kennedy of Ardstinchar, originally a Dominican friar who left his monastery to travel to France, where he took part in the Hundred Years' War as a mercenary and led troops for Joan of Arc at the Siege of Orléans (1428–1429). James V of Scotland visited on 25 November 1529. Mary, Queen of Scots stayed at the castle on 8 August 1563. She is likely to have strolled and admired the view on the half turret walkway which still remains today. The family fortunes were lost, and the estate was bought by Sir John Hamilton of Letterick, son of the 1st Marquis of Hamilton. as well as several houses and an inn in Ballantrae, now the King's Arms Hotel.

Little remains of the castle today apart from the ruins of the keep on a rocky hill. The original castle was wedge-shaped and had three square towers connected by battlement walls. The gatehouse was on the north side, and the keep was in the southeast part of the courtyard with a long hall house alongside. The remains of the castle are situated on the rock outcrop summit near the river. The main tower is 8.7 x and walls are 1.1 m thick. From the ground, it has a height of 15 m. The remains of the other towers are too small to measure. The courtyard wall varies from 1 to wide. A rock-cut trench, 8 m wide and 1.5 m deep, lies outside the north-east courtyard wall, and there is another shallow…