Inverary Castle
July 31, 2025
Inverary Castle is jaw dropping. I remember the first time I saw it. It was by accident, two years earlier, I was road-tripping with my dad when I caught a glimpse of it and was just like, woah!!
It was then, I knew for sure, we were driving in the wrong direction, because had this place been along our route, I would have put it on the itinerary! We turned around after we passed it, and then blew a tire a few minutes later...
Anyway, this summer's visit I found a tour that went to Inverary Castle and was excited to finally see it. This was another organized tour that was a real pain in the ass, literally. The seats were so small on the bus that the seatbelt buckle was sticking into my ass cheek the entire ride.
Some of the other passengers on the tour weren't so great either. There was the same group of people that came back late after every stop and always had to smoke. I had a weird encounter with them at the entrance to Inverary Castle.
As it is stated on the tour's website - the price of admission to the castle is not included. They were arguing about this with the ticket takers at the entrance, when one of them pointed at me and said your company is responsible for this!
What?!
You think that I, the girl sitting in the back of the bus, with a seatbelt up her ass, works for this company?! Why, me of all the passengers? I'm a guest just like you! WTF?!
And why is no one else from the tour complaining that they have to pay an entrance fee?? Huh, Karen??
The castle staff was incredibly kind to me after that confrontation.
The entrance to Inverary Castle is grand.
I recently watched the Netflix series The Diplomat with Kerri Russell. It's a great show. In the second season, I saw the castle and I gasped! I've been there! They show you so much more of the interior castle in the show than you get to see with your admission ticket.
One of the Downton Abbey Christmas specials was filmed here too.
It's mind-blowing that people actually live here. This is still home to the Duke of Argyll, Chief of Clan Campbell.
The exterior is just so pretty. It's dark green hue and it's turrets had me swooning from their award winning gardens. Then I found beautiful stone bridge out in the field behind the parking lot when I was waiting for the bus to come back. I love this castle!
The Armory Hall.
State Dining Room
In the Victorian Room, there is a Maplewood writing desk gifted by Queen Victoria, to her daughter, Princess Louise, on her marriage in 1871. That's a picture of Princess Louise just above the fireplace.
Yes, of course this castle is haunted.
The ghostly bed in this room is elaborately carved and belonged to the MacArthurs of Loch Awe. Legend has it that in 1644, when he Marquis of Montrose and his army marched for Inveraray, the Duke of Argyll was forced to flee his home and leave behind the castle servants to fend for themselves. Amongst them was a young Irish boy, who had been employed as Argyll’s personal harp player.
He was dismembered and left on the bed by the Duke of Montrose's men. The bed was moved to the present castle from the old Inveraray Castle and the boy's ghost was so attached to the bed it travelled with it. When a member of the family is about to die, it is said that harp music is heard coming from the room.
The castle has a number of ghosts including the Grey Lady, only seen by daughters of a Duke of Argyll. And there's a floating ghost ship or ‘Galley of Lorne' which when seen it is said to foretell the death of the clan Campbell Chief.
Check out this video of Inverary Castle and its residents talking about their garden.
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