Torwood Castle and Tappoch Broch

July 27, 2015 31 Comments

I have Paul at Through the lens to thank for alerting me to this walk – I had never heard of either Torwood Castle or Tappoch Broch before he wrote about them. Not long after I read his post, we set out to explore ourselves.

From the village of Torwood, we headed up Castle Loan to the castle itself which dates from 1566. It’s now in the care of a trust but from 1957 until 1998 it belonged to Gordon Millar, a chartered accountant from Glasgow. He spent all that time renovating the ruin but died before completing his project. I’d say there’s not much left to show for it really! Poor Mr Millar. The cows don’t seem impressed.

Torwood Castle

We carried on past the castle in search of the Blue Pool, a Victorian brick-lined tank with clear, turquoise water. No-one seems to know what it was used for but the colour is thought to be from the high levels of aluminium sulphate found in the local fireclay.

Blue Pool

We then retraced our steps back to the castle and headed up to the broch, one of the best-preserved in lowland Scotland. Brochs are Iron Age dwellings consisting of two concentric drystone walls forming a hollow walled tower with galleries and stairways in between. There’s just enough left to get some idea of that – see the panorama at the top of the post and the pictures below.

Tappoch Broch

From the broch, it was a pleasant walk back through the woods to the car.

Linked to Jo’s Monday Walks – meet walkers worldwide at her site.

Scotland, UK Castles, Jo's Monday walk, Prehistoric sites, Tappoch Broch, Torwood Castle

31 Comments »

Donna
August 2, 2015 at 04:19

It’s strange to think about an accountant owning a castle. Even one that is a ruin. Really don’t have either of those in Minnesota. Castles and ruins that is. We have lots and lots of accountants. Wonderful pictures. Once again commenting late since I wanted to make sure to look pictures on my desktop instead of just tiny pictures on my phone.

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- Anabel Marsh
  August 2, 2015 at 08:18
  
  Thanks Donna, your comments are always welcome, late or not! As usual, most photographic credits go to John, though I have to say I am a very good director 😉
  
  I think the owner must have ignored his accountant’s instincts when he invested in this.
  
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jazzfeathers
July 30, 2015 at 21:55

Can’t decide whether I like the castle or the broch better. Oh, wait, I don’t have to decide. I can love both!!! 🙂

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- Anabel Marsh
  July 30, 2015 at 22:38
  
  Exactly!
  
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Sarah Ferguson
July 28, 2015 at 13:59

Mr. Millar may not have finished, but what he left is certainly attractive!

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- Anabel Marsh
  July 28, 2015 at 17:06
  
  I suppose it must have been much more decayed before he started.
  
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Suzanne
July 28, 2015 at 10:06

How very interesting. I really enjoyed tagging along on your walk.

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- Anabel Marsh
  July 28, 2015 at 17:05
  
  Thank you! I’m glad you liked it.
  
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Birgit
July 27, 2015 at 17:20

What a great walk. The castle does not look like it was ever renovated. I wonder how much money he sank into this castle. It does look like a great ruin. I wonder if that pool was a fountain many eons ago. It seems to have that shape. The iron age dwelling is so neat to see and to use the same steps they used. what a beautiful walk

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- Anabel Marsh
  July 27, 2015 at 17:25
  
  Thanks Birgit, I’m guessing he didn’t have much money left for his heirs!
  
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Pit
July 27, 2015 at 15:08

Thanks for taking me there, Anabel, and have a great week,
Pit

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- Anabel Marsh
  July 27, 2015 at 16:17
  
  A pleasure, Pit!
  
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Paul
July 27, 2015 at 13:20

Great post Anabel. I never visited the blue pool when I went, is it over behind the wall and the trees at the back if the castle?

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- Anabel Marsh
  July 27, 2015 at 14:21
  
  Thanks Paul. Yes, it’s quite a long way down the path behind the wall and the only indication that it’s there is a break in the wall on the right. Even then, it’s not obvious.
  
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VioletSky
July 27, 2015 at 13:15

The blue pool is interesting – wonder if anyone used it for a swimming hole?

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- Anabel Marsh
  July 27, 2015 at 14:18
  
  Not sure – it might be a bit small for that.
  
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helenmackinven
July 27, 2015 at 10:29

I’ve been up to the castle several times but never to the Blue Pool so must visit one day as many local folk talk about it.

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- Anabel Marsh
  July 27, 2015 at 12:13
  
  It wasn’t easy to find!
  
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  - helenmackinven
    July 27, 2015 at 13:30
    
    That’s interesting as my brother-in-law has been trying to locate it for years. It really should be better signposted.
    
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    - Anabel Marsh
      July 27, 2015 at 14:24
      
      We had a leaflet which listed it as a point of interest and even had a picture – but no directions! See comment to Paul on this post for where we found it eventually.
      
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restlessjo
July 27, 2015 at 09:33

Good learning curb this week, Anabel! I don’t think I’d heard of a ‘broch’ before (although I do visit Paul’s blog occasionally- I’ll have to recheck 🙂 ). Tappoch Broch sounds like some kind of culinary treat (or not! I thought of tappioca).

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- Anabel Marsh
  July 27, 2015 at 09:38
  
  Hmm, not too appetising! Bit like brioche though, maybe better?
  
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