The name Stalker comes from the Gaelic " Stalcaire" which means hunter or falconer. Originally a fortified building dating from 1320 and belonging to the MacDougalls, the castle was a stronghold of the Stewarts of Appin for many years. King James IV, who was a cousin of the Stewarts, made frequent hunting trips to the castle around the end of the 15th Century.
In 1620, the castle passed in to the hands of the Campbells as the result of a drunken wager by the Stewart Chief in exchange for an eight-oared wherry (a boat).
It was in 1908 that Charles Stewart of Achara purchased the castle, bringing it back in to Stewart hands.
Finally in 1965 Lt.Col. D.R. Stewart Allward negotiated terms to buy the castle, and spend the next 10 years restoring it with the help of his friends and family. More recently, the castle featured as a backdrop for one of the scenes in Monty Python's film, the Holy Grail.