Scottish Tourism Guide - Articles
Scottish Castles
By David R Ross
When folk in other countries think of the heritage of Scotland, they probably think of clans, bagpipes, hills and castles, rather than the many inventions that famous Scots have given to the world. Castles being synonymous with Scotland is not a surprise really, as every shot directed towards tourism usually shows a castle bathed in sunlight with a misty topped, heather clad mountain in the background.
(Kilchurn Castle, Lock Awe, Argyll. image copyright Visit Scotland)
And Scotland has many examples from every era of castle building scattered over her landscape. Some of our hilltops still bear the traces of vitrified forts, easily defensible sites, usually with an earthwork or ditch surrounding the summit, with a defensive wall of fused stone, fire being used to cement the stones together, forming a safe haven for the folk of that particular area. Dunadd, in Argyll, is an interesting example, the first fortification of the early Scots’ settlers, although perusing any large-scale maps of the Scottish countryside will reveal many more.
Some parts of Scotland, especially in the north, bear examples of “brochs.” These tall, round structures, made like a dry stone dyke, comprised of millions of stones carefully placed in situ with no mortar, were probably a place of refuge during Viking attacks. The Broch of Mousa in Shetland is probably our best surviving example. These examples were eventually replaced by motte and bailey castles, a motte being a raised man made mound surmounted by a wooden tower, and the bailey being the surrounding area defended by a wooden palisade, a place where cattle could be driven to protect them from thieving hands. Although the wooden structures have not survived the centuries, the mounds still stand, and a good example is the Motte of Urr, west of Dumfries, or the Bass of Inverurie in the town of the same name, man made mounds that must have taken thousands of man hours of sweat and toil to complete!
(Caerlaverock Castle, Dumfries & Galloway, image copyright Visit Scotland)
Building the curtain walled and towered castles that we link with the days of knights and chivalry began in Scotland around the year 1200 AD. Bothwell Castle is an outstanding example, its builder was William Murray, known to our annals as “William le riche”, and a look at those towering defences will show that it took a man with a lot of cash to pay for it all! Although Bothwell Castle is just a shell today, it is complete to the wallhead, and it does not take a lot of imagination to imagine the scene several centuries ago, when it would have been bustling with activity. Many of the surviving English knights from the Battle of Bannockburn, which was fought in 1314, took refuge in Bothwell from the victorious Scots, only to have the English appointed Scots governor lock the doors behind them and change sides, handing many illustrious captives over to his countrymen. Bothwell is open to the public, and a small charge is taken for admission. Kildrummy in Aberdeenshire is another fine example of this era of castle, and there are smaller versions like Rothesay or Dunstaffnage with their impressive stone curtain walling. All three are open to visitors.
In later medieval times, strong freestanding towers became the fashion. Some have been extended with later additions. One of the best known and certainly one of the most photographed castles in Scotland is Eilean Donan, standing on an islet near Kyle of Lochalsh. It appeared in feature films such as “Highlander” and “Loch Ness”. Castle Stalker on an islet off the coastline north of Oban is another fine example, and it appears in “Monty Python and the Holy Grail”.
Scotland is covered in strong little buildings known as fortified tower houses. These were mostly built between 1400 and 1600, usually by minor chiefs and local lairds, a little show of strength and status. Most surviving examples are still lived in, sometimes by the descendents of the original builders, but many have been lovingly restored over the last half-century or so, and have been turned into family homes. They all follow the same rough plan. There is a stone vaulted basement, with two or three one roomed floors above connected by a spiral stairway, and this is surmounted by a garret roof with a parapet walkway. There are probably over a hundred excellent examples of these little gems dotting the landscape. Many have a French influence in their design, with little pepper pot corner towers. This is the influence of the times of Mary of Guise and Mary, Queen of Scots, influential Frenchwomen who had a large part to play in Scotland’s history. As said, most are still lived in, but a few are open to the public, Smailholm in the Borders region and Claypotts near Dundee are fine examples to visit.
(Edinburgh Castle, Edinburgh, image copyright Visit Scotland)
The two most famous castles in Scotland have got to be, in descending order, Edinburgh and Stirling. Both sit in incredibly similar situations, standing atop extinct volcanic plugs, the castle on the cliff girt highest point, and their original surrounding towns on the tapering hardened lava flows. Both have had some sort of fortification on their sites since earliest times, and both have buildings of many periods within their curtain walls. Edinburgh has undoubtedly more to see, with such attractions as Mons Meg, a mighty cannon, and also the famous one o’ clock gun, which is fired at that hour every day. Edinburgh is home to the Crown Jewels of Scotland; the oldest in Europe, and these are on show along with the famous Stone of Destiny on which early monarchs of Scotland were crowned.
Stirling though, has its beautifully restored Great Hall, showing the opulence of the time of the Stewart dynasty of Scotland. The Stewarts incidentally, were the longest running royal dynasty in European history. The great attraction of both Edinburgh and Stirling though, is the major part they have had to play in Scotland’s story, and most of the great figures in Scotland’s history have visited one or the other (and usually both!) at one time.
So whether you are a visitor to our shores, or want to learn a little more about the country you live in, there are many brilliant examples of castle building to visit. Try Dunnottar near Stonehaven, standing on its cliff girt stack with the waves crashing around its base, or picturesque Kilchurn Castle on Loch Awe, in the shadow of Ben Cruachan. There is something from every era, and something to fit every mood!
Other publications by author at his web site here
Links:
Edinburgh Castle
Caerlaverock Castle
Kilchurn Castle
Dunnottar castle
When folk in other countries think of the heritage of Scotland, they probably think of clans, bagpipes, hills and castles, rather than the many inventions that famous Scots have given to the world. Castles being synonymous with Scotland is not a surprise really, as every shot directed towards tourism usually shows a castle bathed in sunlight with a misty topped, heather clad mountain in the background.
(Kilchurn Castle, Lock Awe, Argyll. image copyright Visit Scotland)
And Scotland has many examples from every era of castle building scattered over her landscape. Some of our hilltops still bear the traces of vitrified forts, easily defensible sites, usually with an earthwork or ditch surrounding the summit, with a defensive wall of fused stone, fire being used to cement the stones together, forming a safe haven for the folk of that particular area. Dunadd, in Argyll, is an interesting example, the first fortification of the early Scots’ settlers, although perusing any large-scale maps of the Scottish countryside will reveal many more.
Some parts of Scotland, especially in the north, bear examples of “brochs.” These tall, round structures, made like a dry stone dyke, comprised of millions of stones carefully placed in situ with no mortar, were probably a place of refuge during Viking attacks. The Broch of Mousa in Shetland is probably our best surviving example. These examples were eventually replaced by motte and bailey castles, a motte being a raised man made mound surmounted by a wooden tower, and the bailey being the surrounding area defended by a wooden palisade, a place where cattle could be driven to protect them from thieving hands. Although the wooden structures have not survived the centuries, the mounds still stand, and a good example is the Motte of Urr, west of Dumfries, or the Bass of Inverurie in the town of the same name, man made mounds that must have taken thousands of man hours of sweat and toil to complete!
(Caerlaverock Castle, Dumfries & Galloway, image copyright Visit Scotland)
Building the curtain walled and towered castles that we link with the days of knights and chivalry began in Scotland around the year 1200 AD. Bothwell Castle is an outstanding example, its builder was William Murray, known to our annals as “William le riche”, and a look at those towering defences will show that it took a man with a lot of cash to pay for it all! Although Bothwell Castle is just a shell today, it is complete to the wallhead, and it does not take a lot of imagination to imagine the scene several centuries ago, when it would have been bustling with activity. Many of the surviving English knights from the Battle of Bannockburn, which was fought in 1314, took refuge in Bothwell from the victorious Scots, only to have the English appointed Scots governor lock the doors behind them and change sides, handing many illustrious captives over to his countrymen. Bothwell is open to the public, and a small charge is taken for admission. Kildrummy in Aberdeenshire is another fine example of this era of castle, and there are smaller versions like Rothesay or Dunstaffnage with their impressive stone curtain walling. All three are open to visitors.
In later medieval times, strong freestanding towers became the fashion. Some have been extended with later additions. One of the best known and certainly one of the most photographed castles in Scotland is Eilean Donan, standing on an islet near Kyle of Lochalsh. It appeared in feature films such as “Highlander” and “Loch Ness”. Castle Stalker on an islet off the coastline north of Oban is another fine example, and it appears in “Monty Python and the Holy Grail”.
Scotland is covered in strong little buildings known as fortified tower houses. These were mostly built between 1400 and 1600, usually by minor chiefs and local lairds, a little show of strength and status. Most surviving examples are still lived in, sometimes by the descendents of the original builders, but many have been lovingly restored over the last half-century or so, and have been turned into family homes. They all follow the same rough plan. There is a stone vaulted basement, with two or three one roomed floors above connected by a spiral stairway, and this is surmounted by a garret roof with a parapet walkway. There are probably over a hundred excellent examples of these little gems dotting the landscape. Many have a French influence in their design, with little pepper pot corner towers. This is the influence of the times of Mary of Guise and Mary, Queen of Scots, influential Frenchwomen who had a large part to play in Scotland’s history. As said, most are still lived in, but a few are open to the public, Smailholm in the Borders region and Claypotts near Dundee are fine examples to visit.
(Edinburgh Castle, Edinburgh, image copyright Visit Scotland)
The two most famous castles in Scotland have got to be, in descending order, Edinburgh and Stirling. Both sit in incredibly similar situations, standing atop extinct volcanic plugs, the castle on the cliff girt highest point, and their original surrounding towns on the tapering hardened lava flows. Both have had some sort of fortification on their sites since earliest times, and both have buildings of many periods within their curtain walls. Edinburgh has undoubtedly more to see, with such attractions as Mons Meg, a mighty cannon, and also the famous one o’ clock gun, which is fired at that hour every day. Edinburgh is home to the Crown Jewels of Scotland; the oldest in Europe, and these are on show along with the famous Stone of Destiny on which early monarchs of Scotland were crowned.
Stirling though, has its beautifully restored Great Hall, showing the opulence of the time of the Stewart dynasty of Scotland. The Stewarts incidentally, were the longest running royal dynasty in European history. The great attraction of both Edinburgh and Stirling though, is the major part they have had to play in Scotland’s story, and most of the great figures in Scotland’s history have visited one or the other (and usually both!) at one time.
So whether you are a visitor to our shores, or want to learn a little more about the country you live in, there are many brilliant examples of castle building to visit. Try Dunnottar near Stonehaven, standing on its cliff girt stack with the waves crashing around its base, or picturesque Kilchurn Castle on Loch Awe, in the shadow of Ben Cruachan. There is something from every era, and something to fit every mood!
Other publications by author at his web site here
Links:
Edinburgh Castle
Caerlaverock Castle
Kilchurn Castle
Dunnottar castle
