Staying In The Restored Kilmartin Castle – Luxury Scottish Accommodation

Hands up if you’ve ever looked at an old castle and thought “I’d love to fix that up”. I’ve definitely got my hand raised as high as it will go. I’m sure most people that love Scotland and its history have thought about how great it would be to live in their very own castle. It’s a place where your imagination can run wild.

The problem is that a 500 year old fortress is much more than just a big house and the list of things that can and probably will go wrong during a renovation is endless. You need real passion, determination and buckets of optimism to pull something like that off.

Stef and Simo just happen to have all of that. They have done something that many of us would dream of and created an incredible home at Kilmartin Castle. Where others might have cut corners or even abandoned the place, this couple have faced down problem after problem. Rooms are available to rent but this isn’t like those 50 bed “Castle Hotel” mansion. This is like staying in a warm and friendly home.

To make it very clear, this isn’t a paid advert and I haven’t received a free stay here. I just stumbled across Kilmartin Castle on Instagram a while ago and was fascinated by this couple’s journey. Then I asked nicely if I could come and find out a little more and had a chat with some very nice coffee in return.

Staying In Kilmartin Glen

It would be doing a disservice to talk about Kilmartin Castle and not mention the wider area of Kilmartin Glen. This is one of the richest archaeological areas of Scotland with hundreds of prehistoric monuments scattered around. Sprawling chambered cairns, enormous standing stones and mysterious cup and ring marks can all be found within easy walking distance.

Not far away is Dunadd Hill Fort, the ancient centre of the kingdom of Dal Riata with its incredible carved coronation footprint. Place your foot inside and imagine those that have stood in that very spot over 1500 years ago. And you thought the castle was old.

Kilmartin Castle Origins

Long before the current couple owned Kilmartin Castle, it was home to a man called John Carswell also know as Seon Carsuel. There are no records to tell us exactly when the castle was built but it’s most likely early 16^th century and was linked with the nearby Kilmartin Church.

John became tutor to the Earl of Argyll’s son, rector of the church and steadily built his influence while living in the castle. By 1560, the churchman had been rewarded with the small but well situated Carnasserie Castle which he set about transforming into a lavish home.

He was later raised to Bishop of the Isles in 1565 and translated The Book of Common Order into Gaelic to allow the general populace of Western Scotland to read the words for themselves. This was the first book to be printed in Gaelic and John’s was hoping to encourage the readers away from folk stories and legendary heroes like Fingal and Ossian.

As well as being a formidable character John was reportedly 7 feet tall. I guess that would help dissuade anybody from arguing with him about religion but wouldn’t have been comfortable in the low doorways of Kilmartin Castle.

Kilmartin Castle’s Resurrection

By the 20th century, Kilmartin Castle was abandoned with no roof and crumbling walls. Olive and Tom Clarke stumbled upon the place while exploring Kilmartin Glen and they rescued the dilapidated ruin from complete collapse. They already had experience in restorations and with Tom being a professional stonemason, he was made for this kind of operation.

The walls were rebuilt, a new roof put in place and upper floors installed again. Kilmartin was being slowly resurrected but this was only a summer retreat for the Clarkes and a long way from becoming a viable permanent home.

Making Kilmartin Castle Luxury

When Stef and Simo toured the West Coast of Scotland on holiday, they understandably fell in love with the place. So when they spotted Kilmartin Castle up for sale, it didn’t take much to convince them to make an offer. It had lighting, it had plumbing but it had hidden problems to go along with the more obvious problems.

The couple were still living in Dubai at the time so whenever they couldn’t be here, they rented their castle out with its three bedrooms and single shower on Air BnB. For a while, it seemed like the income might actually cover the castle costs but unfortunately constant patch up repair bills and running space heaters to keep the 500 year old building warm and dry was eating up any spare funds they had.

The crunch came during their wedding at the castle. What should have been a fairytale story, tying the knot in your very own castle surrounded by friends and family ended up with a rather large and unexpected bill. That many people during a boozy celebration takes its toll on an underprepared sewage system and the sceptic tank couldn’t handle it. Faced with a large bill, these two decided to roll the dice and sold up their life in Dubai to live full time at Kilmartin Castle, determined to make it work.

New Beginnings

Half of 2018 was spent in a campervan hunting antiques but in 2019, the real work started. Kilmartin Castle was emptied, completely stripped back and the couple decided that there would be no cutting corners. This was going to be done properly. They got to work creating five bedrooms, all of them en-suite.

The old stone walls that had been covered over in the upstairs rooms were exposed once again. Damp patches on the ground floor meant that a new damp-proof course was required. Flagstones were lifted and the concrete below smashed and removed with hours of hard labour. With the floors already up, the obvious decision was to install underfloor heating and get rid of those costly space heaters.

Kilmartin Castle managed to open for 6 months, just in time for Covid-19 to close everything again. Ever the optimists, what better time to create the to-do list of a lifetime and cause as much disruption as you need without any guests in the way. Among regular upkeep like re-pointing the stonework there were some fairly major jobs that still needed completing.

The ground level around the castle had been raised over time and now water running off from the nearby hill was pooling around Kilmartin Castle’s foundations and seeping inside. A “French Drain” was created which is in essence a moat filled with rocks around the bottom of the building.

The chimney turned out to have been rebuilt several feet too short. Instead of the wind sucking smoke out of the fireplace, the downdraught over the roof was blowing it back inside. Cue a complete rebuild of the chimney using the original stones that were discovered when digging out the drain.

Kilmartin Castle Today

Inside, Kilmartin Castle is an absolute work of art. The care and thought that has gone into the features of each room is incredible with pipes hidden inside a grandfather clock, a bespoke doorlock mechanism with the biggest key I’ve ever seen and clever little antique touches. Drench showers and enormous, copper bathtubs, comfortable armchairs with roaring fires and just about everything else you need to relax.

Eat your breakfast in the vaulted dining room before settling in to read some stories below the gaze of a mounted stag head. It’s no wonder rooms have been booking up far in advance.

Work is still ongoing in the garden to create a unique event space with the castle as a backdrop but it’s already a thing of beauty. Have a seat around the firepit on rocks that were dug out to create the pond which will soon be a swimming hole. Even an orchard is in the progress of being established to add a final touch to this perfectly sized castle dream.

It’s hard to think of a single part of Kilmartin Castle that could be improved on. Stef and Simo have given their all to create this place and I know that I wouldn’t have had nearly enough vision or energy to achieve this. It’s still the dream to live in my own castle like so many others but now I’ve got a better idea of the determination it really takes.

Next time you see that castle ruin for sale at a reasonable price just remember that it’s not an impossible task but it isn’t easy. I asked the question just to be sure and these two don’t regret their decision for a minute.

More Information About Staying In Kilmartin Castle

You can find the castle website by clicking here if you’re interested in booking a stay. Each room is completely unique but all are worth a look. Even if it’s going to be a long time before you can consider a trip to Scotland, I’d highly recommend following Kilmartin Castle’s story on Instagram here. Scroll back and find out what it really takes to turn a leaky old castle into a home. You might get some ideas for your own future restoration.

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