Must-see Scotland: Castles

I recently spent two weeks driving around Scotland, and oh my goodness, I loved it so much! Towns I visited include Edinburgh, Inverness and Glasgow. I rented a car and drove the North Coast 500, explored the east coast, as well as the Isle of Skye. It’s all been amazing, and you can read my blog posts for each of them by clicking on the links. Scotland of course has a plethora of castles (over 1,500 actually) and while I didn’t see them all, I saw a lot of incredible castles. This blog post focuses on more must-see Scotland: castles.

1. Balmoral Castle

Located in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, Balmoral has been one of the royal residences since 1852. This is when it was bought by Prince Albert and Queen Victoria, who added on greatly to the the estate. Balmoral remains a private home of the Queen.

Visitors can visit this summer home of the royal family from April 1 until August 2 (check their website for more details). The admission price is 15 pounds for adults, and 6 for children. Visitors are given an audio guide to tour the grounds. Also, dogs are welcome!

Touring Balmoral

Following the audio guide, visitors first learn about the lay out of the gardens, the trees and driveway, etc. The first building we came to was the Deer larder – where deer are skinned 🤮😢.

Visitors are allowed to tour and hear about the gardens – both vegetable and flower. The gardens are planted so that flowers bloom in August during the Royal family’s visit and the vegetables are ready for their meals.

Queen Victoria at Balmoral

The grounds are really lovely. I’m a bit obsessed with Queen Victoria lately so I love to imagine her walking around the grounds. Watch Victoria on PBS and I promise you’ll soon be obsessed too. Speaking of TV, if you’ve seen ‘The Crown’ you may recall the episodes where the Queen and family go hiking, deer hunting, etc on the grounds of Balmoral.

On the grounds is the garden cottage – first used as a location for illness quarantine, then Queen Victoria’s Indian attendant ‘the Munshi’ lived there. {Another show suggestion- watch Victoria and Abdul with Judi Dench- so good!}

Queen Victoria’s apartments were in the back section of the estate, overlooking the sunken garden, which is just lovely.

Unfortunately, the ballroom is the only room inside Balmoral you can visit – and photos are not allowed. Inside the ballroom are many displays about the Royal family including several outfits worn by the Queen. After seeing inside you can look around the stables / garage. At this estate there are special made Land Rovers that are used for and by the royal family.

Touring the grounds was lovely, though with the entry ticket being 15 pounds, it was a bit disappointing to not see the inside. So lets talk about another castle…

2) Eilean Donan

After driving along the North Coast 500 for several days, Erin and I headed to Eilean Donan, located on an island. There is a footbridge leading across the Loch to the castle.

The location of the castle and island is the confluence of three Lochs- Long, Duich and Alsh.

History of Eilean Donan

It’s lesson time! Eilean means island. Donan is named after the 6th century Irish saint- Bishop Donan- who was believed to have settled on the island around 580. There was a castle built on the site in the early 13th century, probably as a defense against the Vikings, who controlled northern Scotland between 800 and 1266. In the 15th century the castle reduced in size (maybe because a smaller defense was needed). The castle started to fall into disrepair throughout the years, until it was captured by the Jacobites in 1715. The castle was destroyed May 10, 1719 and laid in ruins for almost 200 years.

In 1917 Major John MacRae-Gilstrap bought the ruins and had it restored over the next twenty years. It looks very close to what it looked like in the 15th century.

Touring Eilean Donan

Visitors can tour Eilean Donan from 10-6. Times may change depending on the season, so check the website before arriving. Admission costs 10 pounds for adults. The rooms are furnished with pieces from the MacRae family- though no pictures are allowed. We visited the dining room, and went upstairs to the sleeping areas. Back down in the lower area is the kitchen with mannequins, fake food and sound effects.

We walked around outside to get views from the Lochs. There, we saw the plaque honoring the men from Clan MacRae who fought in World War 1.

We also went down to the beach and to see the bridge. However, that is unfortunately where Erin fell on the rocks and broke her wrist.

For those of you wondering, we drove 20 minutes to a hospital on the Isle of Skye, where she received x-rays, meds and a cast all in three hours and at absolutely no cost.

3) Inveraray castle

More must-see Scotland continues with another stunning castle- Inveraray Castle. Located in Argyll country on the east side of Scotland, it is open Thursday through Sunday from around 10-5. Admission is 4,50 for adults, or 10,50 for children. As always, check their website to verify before you visit.

In the mid 15th century Inveraray was a fortified castle of the Earl of Argyll. The current castle was started in 1746 to replace the L-shaped defensive tower because it wasn’t fit for the newly-elevated Dukes of Argyll and took over 40 years to complete. The stone used gives Inveraray a greenish color. In 1759 the fifth Duke married Elizabeth Gunning who wanted the castle to be furnished and decorated à la française, which is evident in many of the rooms. Unfortunately there were fires here in 1877 and again in 1975, after which a lot of renovation had to take place, but it was effective- it is a stunning castle.

Inveraray’s Queen Victoria connection

As I mentioned earlier, I have a bit of a fascination with Queen Victoria, so I was excited to learn the 8th Duke’s son married Queen Victoria’s fourth daughter. In the castle there is a room dedicated to Louise- all about her childhood, proposal (at Balmoral), wedding (controversial because it was the first in 350 years that a member of the royal family married outside royalty) and later life. She was an artist, and the castle features one of her sculptures of her mother Queen Victoria and a watercolor. Also on display are robes worn by Princess Louise during the coronation of Edward VII in 1902.

Touring the rooms of Inveraray

The first two rooms visitors see are the tapestry room (the French style room seen above) and the oval shaped china room. Nearby is the dining room- featuring ship “nefs” and a gifted silver bowl from Queen Victoria to her new son-in-law. In the middle of the ground floor extending up several floors is the Armory room- effectively a roofed courtyard. The armory features the family emblem on the ceiling, and weapons that were used during the Battle of Culloden against the Jacobites. The salon was used for entertaining guests with music or billiards. This room was used for a Christmas episode of Downton Abbey. The salon also features a piano was used by Lerner & Lowe, who composed several song for My Fair Lady while staying here.

Next was a bedroom- know as the MacArthur room- and it is haunted! A young harpist was murderer here in 1644. There are a total of 5 ghosts in this castle! We also took a visit to the kitchen, complete with mannequins (which seems to be thing they do in Scottish castle).

After we wandered the gardens- which were were lovely. There was a woodlands path, and a selfie station that took us about 10 times to get a pic that was only halfway decent 🤪 From the path we also got lovely views of adorable nearby town of Inveraray, and Loch Fyne, Scotland’s longest sea loch.

And another little interesting history fact about Inverary- during WWII it was used as a secret training area only referred to as “somewhere in Scotland”.

4) Stirling castle

Lets talk about another castle! Located about equidistant between Glasgow and Edinburgh is Stirling Castle, which makes an impressive impression from the highway. Stirling Castle is open 9:30-5 every day at a cost of 16,50 for adults or 10 pounds for children.

History of Stirling Castle

Lets talk history! (Bear with me, Stirling was the last of the castles we visited in Scotland, and castle fatigue is a real thing.) Back in 1110 was the first mention of church at this location. Later, Kings James IV through VI lived here. Most of Stirling Castle was built through 1500-1800s.

After royalty left, Stirling Castle was used barracks, and in fact the army used it until 1964. Sieges took place during the Scottish Wars of independence. The cannons were only used once, at the Jacobites in 1746, who were able to take the town but not the castle.

Mary Queen of Scots was born in 1542 and 6 days later James V died and she became Queen. And I think we know what happened to her. 1633 is the last time a king visited the palace and that is when ceased to be a royal residence. We wandered the gardens and looked over the walls. Located outside the palace walls (which are so tall and you really get a sense of its grandeur and fortitude) you can see Wallace Tower in distance- the memorial was built to him in 1800s. You also see the Kings and Queens garden located below, with their swirling, maze-like design .

Touring Stirling Castle

There was a free tour of Stirling Castle offered shortly after we arrived, so we took advantage and learned so much. Here are some tidbits:

Stirling Castle as a royal residence

Stirling Castle was made a royal palace by James 5th in 1538, when he gave it as wedding present to Mary de Guise of France. It has statues of gods and goddesses (over 250 of them!) on facade. You can tour the inside of this section and this is one of what you would see:

• The outer rooms for greeting guests.
• The queens and kinds bedchambers (actually used for greeting friends and they slept nearby).
• Kings inner hall (where visitors met with king) with the stirling heads recreated on the ceiling (the original ceiling began to collapse in 1777).

Stirling Heads

One of the most interesting things to see at the castle are the Stirling heads. The Stirling Heads were created in 1539 to decorate tje ceilings and show James Vs power and credentials. There were 37 heads and 31 are still at the castle- including royalty, courtiers, Hercules, Julius Cesar. These began to fall room the ceiling, so they were taken by locals and soldiers, but were reamassed into the collection you can see today.

Touring more of Stirling Castle

• The North Gates dates from 1381. Around that time Robert the Bruce took over the castle and tore some of it down, so that no one would try to take it over.
• The Inner battery was added by James 4 and did take cannon fire (can see the holes)
• The Great Hall was built in 1503, and is still its original yellow color. It was used as barracks for 300 years, but was made to relook like it was during the time of James the 4th in 1997. Roof was made by shipbuilders, which is why it looks like one. This is where there were huge feasts. And in 1566 Mary Queen of Scots had a huge party here for James VIs baptism that lasted 3 days and nights. He was baptized in old chapel. 7 months later she had to give up the throne.
• In 1594 the new royal chapel was built. James wanted a more lavish chapel for the baptism of his son, Prince Henry, so it was modeled after the Temple of Solomon. Paintings on top of wall were added in 1628.
• Great kitchen- when the court came in 1543 it took 19 carriage horses to transport everything for the kitchen.

More must-see castles…

There are over 1,500 castles in Scotland. Many I talked about in previous blog posts so let me just briefly discuss them now.

5) Holyrood Palace

The official residence of the royal family in Scotland since the 16th century, Holyrood Palace is located in Edinburgh on the royal mile.

You can visit Holyroodhouse Palace in July and August 7 days a week from 9:30-6, though the rest of the year it is closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Make sure to confirm on their website before visiting, it is a working royal palace and closures may occur. I loved visiting the palace, particularly seeing the furnished rooms, and walking the gardens.

Check out my blog post about one day in Edinburgh to learn more.

6) Dunrobin Castle

It is really tough to choose, but I think if I had to pick my favorite of the castles I visited, Dunrobin Castle might be at the top of the list.

This stately home is the most northerly of Scotland’s great houses and also the largest in the Northern Highlands with 189 rooms. Visitors can go in many rooms which are furnished, and also wander the amazing gardens. Dunrobin Castle is open from 10-5 in the summer at a cost of 13,50 for adults or 8,50, and the falconry is included in the price.

Read more about Dunrobin Castle in my post about driving the North Coast 500.

7) Castle of Mey

Continuing with more must-see Scotland: Castles, and another castle you can read about in my North Coast 500 blog post is Castle of Mey.

The Castle of Mey was the property of Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother. She bought the house and renovated it in 1952 and continued to stay there through 1996, when she opened it to the public. The royal family still visits the property once a year, and when visitors tour they see belongings of the Queen Mother, and hear stories about her time there. There are no photos allowed inside, but it was a lovely visit through the castle and gardens. Castle of Mey is open 11-3 and costs 13 pounds for adults, and 7 pounds for children.

8) Dunvegan Castle

More must-see Scotland: Castles continues with Dunvegan Castle. Tour the castle, the gardens or even go on a seal tour when you visit Dunvegan Castle located on the Isle of Skye. The castle, owned by the chief of the McLeod clan, showcases furniture and paintings of the family, remnants from the Jacobites, and a few fabulous gardens among other things.

Read more about Dunvegan Castle in my post about the Isle of Skye.

9) St. Andrews Castle

Most must-see Scotland: Castles continues with a couple of different type of castles than what I’ve already mentioned- ruins. While you can’t go inside and see furnishings and paintings, I find that exploring castle ruins can be just as exciting. You have to put a little imagination into it. And often these castles are still accompanied with visitors centers to give you lots of information about the history of the castle. St. Andrews Castle, located in the town of St. Andrews, is one such castle.

These castle ruins were free for us to visit when we were there, because there was some renovation going on and we couldn’t actually wander the grounds (check their website before you visit). However, we did get to wander near it, seeing the ruins hugging the cliffside. This castle was built around the last 12th century for the bishops of the Royal Burgh of St. Andrews, and we learned all about it in the information center. Read more about it, and the other sites in St. Andrews (golf anyone?) in my blog post about driving the east coast of Scotland.

10) Urquhart Castle

Another castle ruin, and located near Inverness, is Urquhart Castle.

Dating from the 13th century, Urquhart Castle is a great castle ruins to explore. Visitors can climp lots of the castle grounds to explore and climb around, but it also affords great views of Loch Ness.

Urquhart Castle is open 9:30-8 during the summer, and tickets are £12 for adults. However, there is a discount if you buy them in advance online.

I hope you enjoyed by post about must-see Scotland: castles. I appreciate you reading, and I welcome your comments. Check back soon for most posts about my adventures in the UK. Happy travels!

-Catching Katie