Castle Stalker: Inside The History Of Scotland's Island Fortress

Constructed in the 14th century, Castle Stalker was controlled by various Scottish clans over its long history, and was later featured in Monty Python and the Holy Grail .

Rising starkly from a tiny islet in Loch Laich on Scotland’s rugged west coast, Castle Stalker is one of the most well known tower houses in the Highlands. The fortress has a long and storied history, though most might know it best as “The Castle of Aaargh” from Monty Python .

For centuries, Castle Stalker’s lonely silhouette has stood over the waters near Port Appin. What was once a proud medieval fortress gradually fell into ruin before it was revived in the 1960s by Lieutenant Colonel Stewart Allward for his family. Over the course of a decade, Allward transformed the castle into habitable condition, modernizing