A Lowland stronghold for a Highland chiefEveryone is awestruck
by Castle Campbell. The imposing ruin stands in solemn isolation
upon a narrow ridge, overlooked by a crescent of the Ochil
Hills. Two precipitous ravines hem it on either side, through
which thunder the Burn of Care and the Burn of Sorrow. The
setting couldn’t be more dramatic. A fine tower-house
castleCastle Campbell is one of Scotland’s best-preserved tower-
house castles. The tower house itself served as the family
residence. Standing 20m high, it dominated the courtyard. The
service access was at ground level, but the main entrance was at
first-floor level, the norm at this date. Inside were four
floors of accommodation – a storage cellar at ground level, a
hall on the first floor and private chambers on the two upper
floors. These latter were altered around 1600, and the fine
vaulted ceiling at the top, with its two grotesque carvings
representing the Green Man, dates from then. Friend or foe!The
castle was visited by all sorts of important p