Romantic Scotland is especially popular among tourists. This region is famous for its endless lakes and high mountains, fearless mountaineers and imposing bagpipers, fluffy sheep and shaggy cows. And, of course, monumental castles, of which there are more than three thousand in the country. What are the most popular castles in Scotland?
The panorama of the capital of Scotland - Edinburgh - is dominated by a steep mountain, a former extinct volcano. At its top is a powerful castle, on the territory of which the oldest building in the whole country has been preserved - the chapel of St. Margaret of the 12th century. And also in the Edinburgh Castle are kept the regalia of Scottish monarchs and the mysterious Skunk Stone.
Stirling Castle, also located on a steep cliff, has long served as the coronation site of Scottish monarchs. Soon the Stewarts settled here, who built a luxurious Renaissance palace in the 16th century. One cannot but visit the cozy Balmoral Castle, so beloved by the young Queen Victoria that she turned it into her summer residence.
Especially worth noting are the romantic castles of Stalker and Eilen Donan. Both of these powerful fortresses sit on tiny islands in the middle of the lake. The tiny Urquhart castle is also curious. Half destroyed, it is located just on the shores of Loch Ness, famous for its mysterious monster Nessie. The northern Scottish Isle of Skye, home to the mysterious Dunvegan Castle, is also worth a visit.
TOP 10 popular castles in Scotland
Edinburgh castle
Edinburgh castle
Edinburgh Castle is located on the top of a powerful sheer mountain, a former extinct volcano. It is considered inaccessible - its three slopes are so steep that it is impossible to climb them. Now only one path leads to the castle - the huge Royal Mile, the main street of the city. It connects the medieval fortress with the more livable Holyrood Abbey.
Edinburgh Castle has a rich history. The first documentary information about it dates back to the XII century, although historians claim that the royal residence was on this place even earlier. It is believed that it was here that Queen Margaret of Scots died of grief, later canonized when she learned of the death of her husband and eldest son. When her youngest son David himself became king, he ordered to build a chapel in memory of his mother, and this tiny building has survived to this day.
During its long history, Edinburgh Castle has been sieged more than 20 times. He often became a stumbling block between the British and the freedom-loving Scots. The longest and bloodiest was the Long Siege, which lasted from 1571 to 1573. However, after the annexation of Scotland to England, the castle lost its strategic importance and turned into just a military garrison with barracks and an armory.
Now Edinburgh Castle is considered the most popular attraction in Scotland, annually visited by one and a half million people. There are many museums on the territory of the castle, as well as piper festivals and colorful military parades.
The external appearance of the castle ensemble is rather homogeneous - most of the buildings were erected in the 15th-16th centuries. This period includes the powerful Battery of the Crescent, the graceful royal palace with a high crenellated turret and the Great Hall, considered a typical example of secular Renaissance architecture. Separate structures appeared already in the 18th century exclusively for military purposes.
The oldest building on the territory of Edinburgh Castle - and throughout Scotland as a whole - is the small chapel of St. Margaret, built at the beginning of the 12th century. It is a Romanesque stone structure with tiny windows. Inside, the church is only three meters wide: the powerful walls, the thickness of which reaches 60 meters, are to blame for everything. With the development of the Reformation in Scotland, the church was closed and turned into a powder store, and only in the middle of the 19th century it was restored and refurbished, adding graceful stained glass windows.
In the Royal Palace of the 15th century, the most important regalia of the Scottish crown are kept, including the famous Skunk Stone. This relic is a huge piece of sandstone weighing 152 kilograms, while legends say that it is more than three thousand years old. The Skunk Stone was stolen by the English King Edward I in 1296, and for exactly 700 years the Scottish relic belonged to the British and was kept in Westminster Abbey. In the 20th century, the Skunk Stone was surprisingly stolen by Scottish students, and ultimately Queen Elizabeth II returned the stone to her people.
Many of the premises of Edinburgh Castle are occupied by the Military Museum of Scotland. Among its exhibits are ancient weapons, uniforms and medals.
In 1755, on the site of a medieval church, another barracks was erected, in which a war memorial was opened in 1923 in memory of those killed in the First World War.
Also on the territory of Edinburgh Castle, you can find two curious guns. One of them, Mons Meg, was cast in the 15th century. The other, modern, is famous for the fact that every day, except Sunday, at exactly one o'clock in the afternoon, a symbolic shot is fired from it.
Sterling Castle
Sterling Castle
Stirling Castle also played an important role in the history of Scotland. This powerful fortress is located on a steep cliff, which is almost impossible to approach. The castle was built in the XII century and for a long time served as the favorite residence of the Scottish kings. Sterling reached its peak of popularity in the 15th century, when the era of the Stuarts began. A luxurious royal court appeared in Sterling, in no way inferior to the Parisian one - knightly tournaments were held here, and in the dark dungeons alchemists tried to create a mysterious philosopher's stone.
In 1603, the King of Scotland, Jacob, received the English crown, since then Sterling Castle began to lose its influence and turn into a military fort with barracks and ammunition depots. Until the middle of the 20th century, the castle was administered by the British Department of Defense. Now it is gradually being refined and open for tourist visits.
The oldest part of the castle is its northern gate, built in 1380. It is worth noting the main gate with powerful crenellated towers, built in 1508. Other military fortifications appeared already in the 18th century during frequent conflicts with England during the Jacobite uprisings.
The old royal chambers have been preserved since 1497; now this elegant building houses the Museum of the Scottish Highlanders. More luxurious buildings - the Royal Palace and the Great Hall - were built already in the 16th century. The Great Hall is considered one of the largest secular medieval buildings in Scotland. In its appearance, traces of the influence of the emerging Renaissance style at that time are noticeable.
And the Royal Palace is already completely made in this style. It is the first Renaissance palace to be built in Great Britain. The infamous Queen Mary Stuart spent her childhood here. The palace is famous for its curious collection of wood-carved portraits of monarchs, local saints and personified allegories. Several authentic 16th century images have survived, but many were made much later.
It is also worth visiting the old Royal Chapel, where the coronation of Mary Stuart took place. Stirling Castle is also surrounded by picturesque parks and gardens.
Balmoral Castle
Balmoral Castle
The romantic Balmoral Castle is the personal property of the British royal family. Although the first small estates and hunting lodges appeared here during the reign of Scottish King Robert II in the 13th century, the height of Balmoral's popularity came already in the Victorian era.
Queen Victoria and her husband Prince Albert spent almost every summer in Scotland, and in 1848 they visited Balmoral. They immediately liked this picturesque area, although they considered the castle that existed at that time to be too tiny for their large family. In 1852, Prince Albert officially bought this mansion, and in 1857 the luxurious modern Balmoral Castle grew on this site.
The castle is made in the Scottish neo-Gothic style. It is known that Prince Albert himself participated in the construction - he designed several windows and charming decorative turrets that were used during the Middle Ages for purely defensive purposes. Thanks to the intervention of Prince Albert, the exterior of this mansion also has a German architectural style.
Balmoral Castle is surrounded by vast grounds, where you can often see a mighty elk or funny fluffy Scottish cows or ponies. Prince Albert also designed a park near the castle - with a pond, curbs and figurative trees and flower beds. And Queen Victoria, inconsolable after the untimely death of her beloved husband, built many monuments and monuments in his honor.
In fact, Balmoral Castle looks more like a modest summer manor, but the abundance of decorative defensive elements gives the impression that we are facing a real medieval fortress. The interiors are furnished in Scottish style, but only the ballroom is open for viewing.
In total, there are more than 150 buildings on the territory of Balmoral Castle, while some cottages can be easily rented for summer vacations. The park ensemble slowly flows into the Cairngorms National Park, where the Dee River flows and there are several small mountains at once.
Balmoral Castle is still loved by the British royal family, so you can visit it only when Queen Elizabeth II is away. She usually spends the end of July and all of August in Scotland.
Blair Castle
Blair Castle
Blair Castle has a unique history - for over 700 years it has been owned by the same family - the Dukes of the Atolls from the Murray clan. It is curious, by the way, that the castle was built by a completely stranger - in 1269 the Atoll neighbor John Comyn took advantage of their absence and began building his own castle on their territory. Returning from the crusade, the Duke of Atoll was indignant at such a violation of private property and, having enlisted the support of King Alexander III of Scotland, reclaimed the almost completely completed castle for himself.
The oldest part of the castle is the same tower of John Comin, in the appearance of which you can see traces of military fortifications of the 13th century. However, most of the buildings are later - large development took place in the 16th century, in the 18th century the castle was given the features of the classicism era, and at the end of the 19th century, Blair Castle was heavily rebuilt in the neo-Gothic style popular at that time. At the same time, the castle was returned to the ancient defensive elements - a battlement wall and powerful turrets, already performing a purely decorative function.
Blair Castle is now completely open to tourists. The interior of the rooms has been partially preserved from the 18th century - you can see elegant stucco molding and expensive mahogany furniture. Also in the castle, a typical picture of life in the family estate is being restored - you can see hunting trophies, weapons, valuables, clothes, decorative and visual arts belonging to the Murray clan.
Blair Castle is surrounded by a picturesque park with a grotto. The palace and park ensemble smoothly flows into the huge Cairngorms National Park, where the River Dee flows and there are several small mountains at once. By the way, it is in the park of this castle that one of the thickest fir trees in the whole of Great Britain grows.
Inverness Castle
Inverness Castle
Inverness Castle is located in a remote area of the Scottish Highlands, better known as the Highland. The castle played a key role in many events in the history of Scotland, but traces of ancient buildings have not survived.
It is believed that the first castle of Inverness appeared in the middle of the 11th century - King Malcolm III built his citadel here after defeating Macbeth, the murderer of his father Duncan. This legend formed the basis of the famous tragedy of William Shakespeare, but the reliability of many events has not been proven by historians. In any case, the first castle of Inverness was destroyed in 1310 by King Robert the Bruce.
In 1562, the castle constable refused to open the gates for his queen, the infamous Mary Stuart, who was not popular in her native Scotland. The queen's supporters took Inverness Castle by storm. And during the long Jacobite wars of the 18th century between the British and the national hero of Scotland, Karl Edward Stuart, Inverness Castle repeatedly passed from hand to hand.
Ultimately, the fortress fell into disrepair and was rebuilt in 1835. Its modern building is made of red sandstone, and its exterior features several powerful neo-Gothic crenellated towers. During the construction, the appearance of the medieval citadel was carefully preserved, but it is obvious that the defensive elements of the structure now perform only the function of decoration.
Inverness Castle is now home to the City Court, so the interior is not open to tourists. However, a couple of years ago, an observation deck was built at the top of the northern tower of the castle.
The castle itself is located in the large city of Inverness, which is also known for its splendid neo-Gothic Cathedral of St. Andrew. And just 10 kilometers from the city, the famous Loch Ness begins, where the mysterious monster Nessie lives.
Urquhart Castle
Urquhart Castle
Urquhart Castle is one of the most visited castles in Scotland. It owes much to its "convenient" location - it is located on the shores of Loch Ness Lake, where the cute monster Nessie lives. Despite the fact that the existence of Nessie is more of a fiction, created to enhance the prestige of this remote region, tourists still flock to the lake to search for this mysterious creature.
Urquhart Castle itself has no direct relation to Nessie. It was built in the XIII century and was of great importance during the Wars of independence of Scotland, flaring up alternately throughout the XIV century. The castle was occupied by the English, then the Scottish kings. One of them - David II - even temporarily turned this fortress into his personal residence.
The castle of Urquhart withstood its last siege already in the 17th century. The garrison of 200 people held out for two years under the onslaught of the Jacobite army - supporters of the deposed King James II. When the forces of the defenders were running out, the castle was blown up, and from that moment it was no longer rebuilt.
Urquhart Castle occupies a huge area, but its northern part, which goes directly to the water, is best preserved. Only a few gentle slopes separate it from Lake Loch Ness. Here you can see the high five-story Grant tower, which has practically not been destroyed. You can even go up and inspect its interior. The tower was built in the XIV century, but its upper tiers were rebuilt two centuries later.
The southern part of the castle is located on a rocky hill slightly in the distance. Only the picturesque ruins of the 13th century fortress wall and the 16th century gates remain from it.
Eilen Donan Castle
Eilen Donan Castle
Eilean Donan Castle is considered one of the symbols of Scotland, despite the fact that its modern construction was completed in the 20th century. This amazing fortress on an island in the middle of a lake is amazing and attracts thousands of tourists.
In fact, Eilen Donan Castle has a turbulent history. It sits on a tiny island named after St. Donan, who converted Scotland to Christianity in the early 7th century. It is believed that his monastery was located on this island, but archaeological excavations did not confirm this hypothesis.
Eilen Donan Castle itself was built in the middle of the 13th century to protect mainland Scotland from the attack of the Norse Vikings. At about the same time, the fortress passed into the personal use of the noble Scottish clan Mackenzie. Only the ruins of the fortress wall have survived from that period.
In the future, Eilen Donan Castle repeatedly became the reason for clan enmity and was subjected to sieges. Ultimately, Eilen Donan Castle was completely destroyed by British troops in 1719 - in the midst of the Jacobite uprisings. Scotland fervently supported the son of the deposed King James and even enlisted the support of Spain, but it was all in vain.
The castle lay in ruins for exactly 200 years, and in 1919, careful restoration work began. Eilen Donan Castle has been rebuilt almost entirely. However, the romantic image of the castle in the middle of the lake is of great interest to tourists.
Eilen Donan Castle is now open to the public. You can climb to the newly rebuilt citadel, where the atmosphere of a medieval fortress is reproduced - in all rooms there are narrow windows, thick walls and low ceilings. The halls display unique finds discovered at the bottom of a 16th century well - ancient weapons and an iron grate of a medieval bastion.
Also, on the territory of Eilen Donan Castle, it is worth paying attention to the stunning memorial in memory of the victims of the First World War, installed by the new owners of the castle - representatives of the MacRae clan.
Inverary Castle
Inverary Castle
Inverary Castle is considered one of the most romantic mansions in Scotland. This amazing building is made of gray-blue local stone; in its appearance, four round turrets, crowned with a pointed spire, which border it, stand out. The most curious detail of Inverari Castle is the upper tier attached to the roof itself with Gothic windows and jagged tops. It resembles the completion of a typical medieval fortress.
It should be noted that the Inverari castle is relatively "young" - it was built in 1745 on the site of an ancient fortification of the 15th century. And the famous cylindrical turrets appeared even later - in 1877.
Inverary Castle belongs to one of the most influential clans in northern Scotland - the Campbells. The family still lives in one of the castle's towers, where modern heating was finally installed. However, the main rooms of this mansion are open to the public. The halls are luxuriously furnished with classicist furniture from the end of the 18th century. Here you can also see a variety of antiques, antique porcelain and even a few selected paintings by the great English artist Thomas Gainsborough. The Armory Room is definitely worth a visit - this is the tallest room in all of Scotland - 21 meters high. And there are more than a thousand types of weapons on display - muskets, swords and much more.
Inverari Castle is surrounded by a huge park, where graceful deer can often be seen.
Stalker Castle
Stalker Castle
Like Eilean Donan Castle, Stalker Castle has already become a kind of symbol of Scotland. It also stands on a picturesque island in the middle of a lake, but has retained its authentic appearance.
Stalker Castle was built in 1320 and was only a small fortified citadel. Its name is curious - "stalker" is translated from Gaelic as "hunter". Initially, it belonged to the MacDougall clan, but already in 1388 Stalker Castle passed to the powerful family of the Stuarts, from where several Scottish and English monarchs would later emerge. By the way, one of the most famous Scottish kings, James IV Stewart, who brought the modern Renaissance era to Scotland, loved to hunt in these parts. It is believed that at the beginning of the 16th century, Stalker Castle was specially enlarged for the convenience of the crowned guest.
Subsequently, Stalker Castle immediately became both a battlefield and a bargaining chip between two warring clans - the Stuarts and Campbells. In 1620, it got to the point that another Lord Stuart, drunk, accidentally exchanged his castle for an eight-oared boat. As a result, the Campbells finally settled in the castle, abandoning it only in the 19th century, when it became completely unfit for habitation.
However, now Stalker Castle is in perfect condition - in 1965 it was acquired by Colonel Stuart, who carefully restored it, while preserving the medieval structure. Now this amazing architectural monument is open for tourist visits, but initially you need to obtain a special permit from the owners of the castle.
Stalker Castle itself is rather small in size - it consists of one four-story citadel tower. You can get to the castle on foot along the trail, but only at low tide.
Dunvegan Castle
Dunvegan Castle
Dunvegan Castle is located in the very north of Scotland - on the territory of the Isle of Skye. This picturesque region is famous for its mountainous landscapes dotted with many streams. Rising on a small cliff, the castle is located opposite Lake Dunvegan, which flows smoothly into the North Sea.
Already in the 13th century, the hill above Dunvegan Lake was surrounded by a powerful wall, and a century later a huge four-story tower was added. In 1500, another tower appeared with the romantic name Fairy Tower. The territory of the Dunvegan castle was finally built up in the 17th century, and in 1840 the dilapidated fortress underwent a large-scale reconstruction - the buildings were rebuilt in the neo-Gothic style, imitating a medieval citadel.
Curiously, for over 700 years, Dunvegan Castle has served as the family residence of the same Scottish clan - the Macleods, who once ruled the entire Isle of Skye. The founder of this ancient family is believed to be Laud Olafson, a descendant of the Norse kings who maintained close ties with northern Scotland.
Currently, Dunvegan Castle contains three relics belonging to the Macleod clan:
- The Dunvegan Cup is a 15th century wooden ceremonial goblet richly decorated with silver.
- Sir Rory More's horn is carved from a bull's horn and decorated with silver. According to ancient tradition, each new leader of the clan had to drain him in one gulp. The time of its creation is unknown - it may be a typical Scottish drinking horn of the 16th century, although there are claims that it was made by the Vikings in the tenth century.
- The Fairy flag has been carefully preserved for several hundred years. This ancient piece of silk with gold embroidery dates back to the twelfth, ninth, and sometimes even fourth centuries. Most likely, a certain Macleod brought him to Scotland, returning after the Crusade. Several legends and traditions are associated with this canvas: the flag is considered magical, it protects its owner from death, it can heal the plague, it contributes to the conception of an heir, and much more. Most of the legends associate this flag with mythological beautiful fairies. By the way, just a couple of kilometers from Dunvegan Castle is the picturesque stone Fairy Bridge, where the tragic parting of Lord Macleod and his beloved fairy who presented him with this flag took place.
All of these stunning relics can be seen when visiting Dunvegan Castle. It is also worth taking a walk through its picturesque gardens and even going down to the lake of the same name.
