My favourite castles in Scotland
Welcome to my blog, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!
It’s pretty hard to come up with my favourite castles in Scotland as there are so many from which to choose. Sometimes it’s the location of the castle that’s the attraction as opposed to the interior of the castle. However as I like getting off the beaten track my choice of castles reflects this.
Tantallon Castle, East Lothian
Tantallon Castle, East Lothian
Tantallon Castle lies 3 miles east of North Berwick in East Lothian. around 20 miles east of Edinburgh. The Castle was built in the 14th century as a fortress. We visited Tantallon Castle for the first time a couple of weeks ago. My husband who is a keen kayaker had paddled round the coastline below the castle but we wanted to see it at ground level. Although it was a pretty miserable wet day the views over the Firth of Forth and the Bass Rock were really impressive. The castle is pretty much a ruin but you climb up the spiral stone staircases for elevated views.
Falkland Palace, Fife
Falkland Palace, Fife
I know it’s a palace but that’s just another name for a royal castle. Falkland Palace was built on the site of Falkland Castle in the 15th century. Falkland Palace is in such a stunning location at the foot of the Lomond Hills in the Fife region of central Scotland. The castle interior is in good condition with many 17th century Flemish tapestries adorning the walls. The Royal Tennis Court built in 1539 for James V, is the oldest tennis court in the UK. It’s real tennis that played here with a more complex scoring system than the current game. The score lines are adorned with paintings of crowns. Mary, Queen of Scots, is said to have created a great stir when she abandoned her stiff skirt to don breeches to play here. The tennis court is still used by a local tennis club.
Castle Fraser, Aberdeenshire
Castle Fraser, Aberdeenshire
Castle Fraser is a splendid castle in Aberdeenshire, in the north east of Scotland. The castle itself is very beautiful and well preserved, dating from the 16th century. It’s brimming with historic furniture, paintings and embroidery. In true castle tradition the castle is haunted by a Princess who was murdered in Green Room. It was impossible to remove the blood stains left on the stone stairs after dragging her body down and wood paneling had to be laid over the stone steps to hide the evidence. You can climb to one of the towers to have fantastic views. of the surrounding countryside. There’s a lovely formal garden and woodland walks. However kids will love the “Woodlands Secrets” adventure playground. There a tepee, stone circle, musical instruments and various carved wooden animals.
If you plan to visit castles, gardens and monuments during your trip to the UK, the Great British Heritage Pass saves you money and time. Overseas visitors to the UK can buy the pass online. The pass gives you free entry to a wast array of heritage properties owned by the National Trust, Historic Scotland and English Heritage. The three castles I’ve written about are all part of either the National Trust for Scotland or Historic Scotland. The price starts at £30 per adult or £69 per family (2 adults and up to 3 kids under 15 year) for a four day ticket. This is good value if you’ll visit a few properties as it costs £11 per adult to enter Edinburgh Castle. You’ll also avoid having to stand in queues to purchase admission tickets at each attraction.
I hope that you’ve enjoyed my whirlwind tour around three of my favourite castles off the beaten track in Scotland. Do you have favourite castle in Scotland away from the star attractions such as Edinburgh Castle and Castle Urquhart at Loch Ness.
May 3rd, 2008 at 5:22 am
[...] Bryan presents My favourite castles in Scotland posted at Europe A La Carte Blog. Three beautiful castles off the beaten track in [...]
July 5th, 2008 at 1:52 pm
The pictures that you have put up is truly amazing!!!!
Simply Marvelous!!!
July 5th, 2008 at 2:19 pm
Julie, I do believe in the saying that “a picture is worth a thousand words”.