The forecast was for fog in the morning, lifting to blue skies and cold sunshine later on. The blue skies were brief but intense but the fog won the battle for most of the day. However, this made for an atmospheric visit to Castle Campbell and Dollar Glen, right on our doorstep but never before visited. The names on the map – Burn of Sorrow and Gloom Hill – were highly evocative of dark times in the past too. Castle Campbell was apparently originally called Castle Gloom, until the 1st Earl of Argyll renamed it.
We walked up the dark, dank glen. Gloom is probably a corruption of chasm in Gaelic but describes perfectly the mood of the narrow gorge. Pencil-thin waterfalls crashed down on the rocks below to our left. Mara, our weirdo Springer spaniel, was in her element. Good paths and plenty of hand rails made it easy – in the past, I can only imagine how hard it would have been to approach the Castle. Maybe the name of the burn reflects many failed attempts. As we crossed the Burn of Sorrow, we could see the castle looming above us, bathed in sunshine. Its position high above Dollar is spectacular but there were no views, only thick mist below us. We were above the mist and the sky was solid blue with only plane trails to break the uniformity. In the distance, the hill of King’s Seat was wrapped around with white tendrils.
Castle Campbell is dog-friendly and we were able to climb right up the tower with Mara towing Chris along. The Castle is well preserved and the tower, which dates back to about 1430, shows its age in the indentations on the steps, worn hollow by many feet.
I was led to believe by my dad’s side of the family that we were descended from Campbells and surely no-one would claim this allegiance without good cause, given their reputation as betrayers and destroyers of the Glencoe Macdonalds. They supported the British Hanoverian crown against the romance of the Jacobite uprising, too-a pragmatic choice which led to the powerful clan reaping even more rewards. But I have no idea where this story of clan belonging comes from. I’d love to find out.
We headed out over open moorland toward King’s Seat but the mist crept back up to envelop us. Another day, we decided. No point climbing up with no view and the risk of getting disorientated in the fog.
There were lots of enticing paths on the way back down to the car. Mara was keen to try them out but food was calling me.
It’s years since I ate in the Tormaukin Hotel in Glen Devon. It’s gone quite upmarket but served us excellent fish and chips. And we realised, looking at the map, that we could walk from Castle Campbell through the glen and arrive at the hotel which has a dog-friendly room in the restaurant.
A plan for another day… another RA!
Listening to the world 