Tarbert Castle
Tarbert Castle is a ruined medieval castle on a hilltop above the fishing and boating town of Tarbert at the head of West Loch Tarbert in Argyll and Bute, controlling the narrow isthmus between Kintyre and the Knapdale mainland that was one of the most strategically significant points in the medieval maritime geography of the western Highlands. The castle was a royal stronghold from the time of Robert Bruce, who strengthened it following his campaigns against the MacDougall lords of Lorne. The strategic importance of the Tarbert isthmus, over which longships could be dragged to avoid the long sea route around the Mull of Kintyre, made it a point of repeated military and political significance throughout the medieval period. Tarbert town today is a popular yachting centre and ferry port for Islay and Gigha.