Acharacle
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At the eastern end of Ardnamurchan, the main settlement is ACHARACLE, an ancient crofting village lying at the seaward end of freshwater Loch Shiel. A mile north of Acharacle, a side road running north off the A861 winds for three miles or so past a secluded estuary lined with rhododendron thickets and fishing platforms to Loch Moidart, a calm and sheltered sea loch. Perched atop a rocky promontory in the middle of the loch is Castle Tioram (pronounced "cheerum"), one of Scotland's most atmospheric historic monuments. Reached via a sandy causeway, the thirteenth-century fortress, whose Gaelic name means "dry land", was the seat of the MacDonalds of Clanranald until it was destroyed by their chief in 1715 to prevent it from falling into Hanoverian hands while he was away fighting for the Jacobites. Today, a certain amount of controversy surrounds the castle: while the setting and approach to the castle are undoubtedly stunning, large notices and fences keep you from getting too close to the castle due to the danger of falling masonry.
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