About
Dunstaffnage Castle and Chapel stand on a huge rock above the Firth of Lorn near Oban, one of Scotland's oldest stone castles, built before 1240 probably by Duncan MacDougall, Lord of Lorn and grandson of the great Somerled, to guard the seaward approach to the Pass of Brander. Its curtain wall is among the oldest standing castle remains in Scotland; Duncan's son Ewen probably added the three round towers, one of which became part of the three-storey gatehouse built around 1500. Robert the Bruce captured it around 1308 after defeating the MacDougalls at the Pass of Brander, and it stayed a royal castle until it passed to the Campbell earls of Argyll in the 1460s. Flora MacDonald was held here in 1746. Climb to the battlements for the superb strategic outlook, then follow the short, sometimes boggy path into the trees to find the very special 13th-century chapel. Visitors praise the coastal bays, the woodland, the welcoming staff and the large free car park a short stroll away.
Check today’s timesPick a day for times and prices
- Until 25 Dec
- Mon, Tue, Wed, Sat, Sun 10:00–15:30, last entry 15:00
- 26 Dec–4 Jan
- Closed
- 5 Jan–31 Mar
- Mon, Tue, Wed, Sat, Sun 10:00–15:30, last entry 15:00
Later dates are in the calendar.
Today, Saturday 24 October
- Dunstaffnage Castle and Chapel10:00 – 15:30last entry 15:00
Prices, non-members
| Ticket | On the day | Online |
|---|---|---|
| Adult | £8.50 | £7.50 |
| Concession | £6.80 | £6.00 |
| Child | £4.00 | £3.50 |
Opening times may change at short notice.
1 April to 30 September daily 9.30am to 4.30pm; 1 October to 31 March 10am to 3.30pm on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday, closed Thursday and Friday; last entry 30 minutes before closing; closed 24 December to 4 January. Historic Scotland recommends booking in advance to guarantee entry; visitors also buy tickets in the gift shop. No works notice on 18 October 2026.
The visitor centre and shop are step-free; the castle entrance is up 26 steep stone steps with a handrail, the main routes inside are gravel, tarmac and grass, the gatehouse is reached by a modern staircase of 12 steps and its upper levels by a narrow 28-step spiral, and the battlements by a spiral stair in the gatehouse; the chapel is approached by a 50 m rough earth path, steep in places and sometimes boggy. Benches outside the visitor centre and inside the castle; toilets and baby changing, no adapted toilet, cafe or audio guide. Dogs on leads in the outdoor areas.
Dogs: Dogs are welcome in the outdoor areas on a lead; HES's general guidance excludes them from visitor centres and roofed areas, so not the shop or the roofed parts of the gatehouse. The grounds, woodland and the path to the chapel are outdoor areas; which stairs and battlements admit dogs is not stated.
Photo: Dunstaffnage Castle's curtain wall and round tower rising from its rock above a grassy slope. Mike Hudson, CC BY-SA 3.0. Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dunstaffnage_Castle,_May_2015.jpg. Licence: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0. Resized and cropped for display; derivatives retain the source licence.
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