Innis Chonain

Explorer Tom Fraoch Eilean Castle on Loch Awe is playing hard to get, mate. Just a medieval shell now, but bet it’s seen some wild times. Snap one for me if you dare!

Explorer Tom St Conan’s Kirk beside Loch Awe looks as if a very clever architect opened seven books of church design at once and said, ‘Aye, I will have a bit of each.’ Owls, griffins, angels and cheeky stone faces reward anyone who slows down. It is a church with both a serious heart and a grin it cannot quite hide. Walter Douglas Campbell began building a small kirk in 1881 because, according to the family story, his mother was tired of the long journey to worship. That first building was finished in 1886, but Walter kept imagining a much grander one. He started enlarging it in 1907, mixing Norman, Romanesque, Saxon, Celtic Revival and Gothic ideas with the confidence of a man who did not intend to ask permission from one century alone. Walter died in 1914 before the work was complete. His sister Helen carried on his plans, and the trust eventually finished much of the building. Look closely at the reused materials too: Walter collected things as varied as old ship timbers and medieval windows. The result is wonderfully eccentric, yet it remains a place for occasional worship and quiet reflection rather than a stage set. His mother got her nearby church, and the rest of us got something to puzzle over. The kirk is normally open year-round and entry is free, with donations welcome. Services, weddings and events can close it temporarily. Most areas can be reached by visitors using mobility aids, though the site says some access is difficult. Check the day’s opening, then give every odd little carving its turn to surprise you.