Last entry 4.45pm. Admire city views from the high ramparts of Edinburgh's 'other castle', play hide-and-seek in its labyrinth of chambers, or picnic in its grounds. The castle was a prison for the younger brother of James III, a happy retreat for Mary Queen of Scots, and the focus of a plot to murder her husband, Lord Darnley. Its profile is dominated by its remarkably complete inner curtain wall.
What a great visit! We'd managed quite a few castle tours and this is right up there for top 5! The kind, informative people in gift/ ticket admitting purchase shop were friendly and helpful. Actual tour guides available to direct traffic. Which was very light. Milady Dawne, a professional calligrapher, who has a vast knowledge of history of script was dressed in period garb and provided several free book marks handwritten with our names! What a great experience! Castle structure still in fair condition. A few sections were barricaded to prevent injury. But a super amount of space to venture. Mobility definitely needs to be good. It a long walk from parking lot. Which was free. We purchased a Scotland Explorer pass that more than paid for itself. Offers several benefits. Great time!
A lovely castle with plenty to explore, and good value too (PS7.50 for an adult and young children are free). You can buy in advance to save some time if you wish, but don't worry if you haven't as there wasn't a queue on my visit and it's the same price. You can get some great views from the roof, although it was a bit misty on my visit. I think the site would benefit from a bit more information boards, facts about the history or what it might have looked like in it's heyday. However I would definitely still recommend this as it is, we had a very good visit. Allow a couple of hours. There's a gift shop and toilet facilities available. A small free car park also available, and walks in the surrounding area.
After visiting Alnwick, Stirling, and Edinburgh castle, this most intact ruins feel the most alive to me! Minimal recreation done and no instruction needed on how to see the castle. Just explore the castle myself and feel how it would have been living there. Side note I arrived 9:30am and have my breakfast with this castle view and pretty much had the castle all to myself until 10-ish!
If you like old castles and ruins you must stop by this one. It is outside the city so there is a LOT less people than at Edinburgh Castle (although you must understand it's different and smaller). It's about 30-40min by bus and well worth it.
There are quite extensive remains of a large castle. There are lots of beautiful views of Edinburgh when on the ramparts. It gives the impression that you are in the countryside but within the city. It has toilets and a small gift shop with room for about 8 cars.
We wandered through the castle for a couple hours, and there were fewer than 20 people here. Perfect! There's also a nice little gift shop. There was even a fun little spot inside the castle for kids (or adults!) to make crowns to wear.
On-site services
Wheelchair-accessible car park
Wheelchair-accessible entrance
Good for kids
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What a great visit! We'd managed quite a few castle tours and this is right up there for top 5! The kind, informative people in gift/ ticket admitting purchase shop were friendly and helpful. Actual tour guides available to direct traffic. Which was very light. Milady Dawne, a professional calligrapher, who has a vast knowledge of history of script was dressed in period garb and provided several free book marks handwritten with our names! What a great experience! Castle structure still in fair condition. A few sections were barricaded to prevent injury. But a super amount of space to venture. Mobility definitely needs to be good. It a long walk from parking lot. Which was free. We purchased a Scotland Explorer pass that more than paid for itself. Offers several benefits. Great time!
A lovely castle with plenty to explore, and good value too (PS7.50 for an adult and young children are free). You can buy in advance to save some time if you wish, but don't worry if you haven't as there wasn't a queue on my visit and it's the same price. You can get some great views from the roof, although it was a bit misty on my visit. I think the site would benefit from a bit more information boards, facts about the history or what it might have looked like in it's heyday. However I would definitely still recommend this as it is, we had a very good visit. Allow a couple of hours. There's a gift shop and toilet facilities available. A small free car park also available, and walks in the surrounding area.
After visiting Alnwick, Stirling, and Edinburgh castle, this most intact ruins feel the most alive to me! Minimal recreation done and no instruction needed on how to see the castle. Just explore the castle myself and feel how it would have been living there. Side note I arrived 9:30am and have my breakfast with this castle view and pretty much had the castle all to myself until 10-ish!
If you like old castles and ruins you must stop by this one. It is outside the city so there is a LOT less people than at Edinburgh Castle (although you must understand it's different and smaller). It's about 30-40min by bus and well worth it.
There are quite extensive remains of a large castle. There are lots of beautiful views of Edinburgh when on the ramparts. It gives the impression that you are in the countryside but within the city. It has toilets and a small gift shop with room for about 8 cars.
We wandered through the castle for a couple hours, and there were fewer than 20 people here. Perfect! There's also a nice little gift shop. There was even a fun little spot inside the castle for kids (or adults!) to make crowns to wear.
