Scotland, the last Country in our 'visiting every castle in the UK' challenge. Now Scotland is shrouded in history and has an awful lot of castles. When we first began researching castles to visit for our challenge I am pretty sure one website said there were about 3,000 castles. To whittle it down we have had to be strict on which castles we will be visiting; therefore, we currently will not be visiting castles that are hotels (unless we decide they could be worth a visit), privately owned castles (due to access issues) and castles that are completely ruined or earthworks (nothing to see and would be pictures of fields).
Given Scotland is the furtherest away from our home in Manchester, we anticipate we will struggle with this set of castles the most. That being said, it is all a part of the fun and we might just have to holiday in beautiful Scotland a lot more.
The Castles
Aberdeenshire
Banff Castle (Partial Remains - visit during events)
Braemar Castle (Preserved)
Corse Castle (Ruin)
Craigievar Castle (Preserved)
Drum Castle (Preserved)
Dunnottar Castle (Ruin)
Castle Fraser (Preserved) - Until we can visit and for a great sneak peak please check out Castles and Turrets post here
Fyvie Castle (Preserved)
Huntly Castle (Ruin)
Inchdrewer Castle (Ruin)
Inverallochy Castle (Ruin)
Inverugie Castle (Ruin)
Kildrummy Castle (Ruin)
Kinnaird Head (In use as a lighthouse)
Knock Castle (Ruin)
Knockhall Castle (Ruin)
Pitsligo Castle (Ruin)
Pittulie Castle (Ruin)
New Slains Castle (Ruin)
Tolquhon Castle (Ruin)
Westhall Castle (Ruin, but Stabilised)
Angus
Edzell Castle (Ruin)
Invermark Castle (Ruin)
Red Castle (Ruin)
Argyll and Bute
Carnasserie Castle (Ruin)
Carrick Castle (Ruin currently being restored)
Duart Castle (Ruin)
Dunstaffnage Castle (Ruin)
Kilchurn Castle (Ruin)
Old Castle Lachlan (Ruin)
Saddell Castle (Ruin)
Skipness Castle (Ruin)
Castle Sween (Ruin)
Clackmannanshire
Alloa Tower (Preserved)
Clackmanna Tower (Ruin)
Castle Campell (Ruin)
Sauchie Tower (Abandoned)
Dumfries and Galloway - Visited May 2023
Caerlaverock Castle (Ruin - preserved) - Grounds open, but Castle closed due to restoration works at time of visit in 2023..
Cardoness Castle (Preserved) - Closed due to restoration works at time of visit in 2023.
Castle of St.John (Preserved) - Closed at time of visiting in May 2023.
Drumcoltran Tower (Ruin)
Kirkcudbright Castle / MacLellan's Castle (Preserved) - Grounds open, but castle closed at time of visit.
Lochmaben Castle (Ruin) - Closed due to safety concerns at time of visit in May 2023.
Morton Castle (Ruin) - Closed due to safety concerns at time of visit in May 2023.
Orchardton Tower (Ruin) - Closed due to safety concerns at time of visit in May 2023.
Sorbie Tower (Ruin)
Threave Castle (Ruin) - Closed due to safety concerns at time of visit in May 2023.
Dundee
Broughty Castle (Preserved - In use as a museum)
Claypotts Castle (Ruin)
Mains Castle (Ruin)
Powrie Castle (Ruin)
East Ayrshire
Barr Castle (Preserved - in use as a museum)
Corsehill Castle (Ruin)
Dean Castle (Restored - in use as a museum)
Loudoun Castle (Abadoned - previously a theme park may be hard to visit)
East Dunbartonshire
Craigend Castle (Ruin)
Lennox Castle (Ruin)
East Lothian
Auldhame Castle (Ruin)
Barnes Castle (Incomplete ruin - never built past vaults)
The Bass (Ruin - only able to visit via boat trip)
Dirleton Castle (Partial Ruin)
Dunbar Castle (Ruin)
Garleton Castle (Ruin)
Hailes Castle (Partial ruin)
Innerwick Castle (Ruin - possibly one to visit)
Preston Tower (Preserved)
Redhouse Castle (Ruin)
Tantallon Castle (Ruin)
Yester Castle (Ruin - buried deep in woodland - possibly one to visit)
Edinburgh
Craiglockhart Castle (Ruin)
Edinburgh Castle (Preserved)
Lauriston Castle (Preserved - guided tours only)
Falkirk (Council Area)
Almond Castle (Partially intact)
Blackness Castle (Preserved)
Kinneil House (Preserved)
Torwood Castle (Undergoing restoration)
Fife
Aberdour Castle (Preserved)
Balgonie Castle (Ruin)
Ballinbriech Castle (Ruin)
Falkland Palance (Preserved)
Kellie Castle (Preserved)
Macduff's Castle (Ruin)
Newark Castle (Ruin)
Pittarthie Castle (Ruin)
Ravenscraig Castle (Ruin)
Rosyth Castle (Ruin)
St Andrews Castle (Ruin)
Scotstarvit Tower (Ruin)
Glasgow
Crookston Castle (Ruin)
Highland
Dunrobin Castle (Intact)
Inverlochy Castle (Ruin)
Inverness Castle (Preserved)
Mingarry Castle (Ruin)
Rait Castle (Ruin)
Strome Castle (Ruin)
Urquhart Castle (Ruin)
Varrich Castle (Ruin)
Inverclyde
Newark Castle (Intact)
Midlothian
Crichton Castle (Ruin)
Roslin Castle (Ruin)
Moray
Auchindoun Castle (Ruined)
Balvenie Castle (Ruined)
Brodie Castle (Complete)
Drumin Castle (Ruin)
Duffus Castle (Ruin)
Findochty Castle (Ruin)
Spynie Palace (Ruin)
North Ayrshire
Ardrossan Castle (Ruin)
Auchenharvie Castle (Ruin)
Brodrick Castle (Preserved)
Eglinton Castle (Ruin)
Fairlie Castle (Ruin)
Glengarnock Castle (Ruin)
Kerelaw Castle (Ruin)
Kersland Castle (Ruin)
Lochranza Castle (Ruin)
Seagate Castle (Ruin - access on open days only)
Stanecastle (Preserved)
Orkney
Bishop's Palace (Ruin)
Breckness Castle (Ruin)
Cubbie Roo's Castle (Ruin)
Earl's Palace, Birsay (Ruin)
Earl's Palace, Kirkwall (Ruin)
Noltland Castle (Ruin)
Outer Hebrides
Kisimul Castle (Preserved)
Ormacleit Castle (Ruin)
Perth & Kinross
Balhousie Castle (Preserved - in use as a museum)
Balthayock Castle (Ruin)
Balvaird Castle (Ruin - limited access)
Blair Castle (Preserved)
Burleigh Castle (Ruin)
Castle Cluggy (Ruin)
Elcho Castle (Preserved)
Finlarig Castle (Ruin)
Huntington Tower Castle (Ruin)
Loch Leven Castle (Intact)
Scottish Borders
Cessford Castle (Ruin)
Corsbie Castle (Ruin)
Drochil Castle (Ruin)
Dryhope Tower (Ruin)
Greenknowe Tower (Ruin)
Hermitage Castle (Preserved)
Hume Castle (Ruin)
Neidpath Castle (Ruin)
Newark Castle (Ruin)
Smallholm Tower (Ruin)
Shetland
Muness Castle (Ruin)
Scalloway Castle (Ruin)
South Ayrshire
Auchans Castle (Ruin)
Baltersan Castle (Ruin)
Craigerie Castle (Ruin)
Crosbie Castle (Ruin)
Culzean Castle (Preserved) - Visited June 2022 - Blog Post Here
Dalquharran Castle Old (Ruin) - Visited June 2022
Dalquharran Castle New (Abandoned) - Visited June 2022
Dundonald Castle (Ruin)
Dunure Castle (Ruin) - Visited June 2022 - Blog Post Here
Greenan Castle (Ruin) - Visited June 2022
Thomaston Castle (Ruin)
South Lanarkshire
Bothwell Castle (Ruin)
Cadzow Castle (Ruin currently being restored)
Craignethan Castle (Ruin)
Crawford Castle (Ruin)
Douglas Castle (Ruin)
Gilbertfield Castle (Ruin)
Strathaven Castle (Ruin)
Stirling (Council Area)
Craigend Castle (Ruin)
Doune Castle (Preserved)
Mugdock Castle (Ruin)
Stirling Castle (Preserved)
West Dunbartonshire
Dunbarton Castle (Preserved)
Balloch Castle (In process of being preserved)
Kilmarnock Castle (Ruin)
West Lothian
Cairns Castle (Ruin)
Duntarvie Castle (Ruin in process of being restored - currently surround by scaffolding)
House of Binns (Preserved)
Linlithgow Palace (Ruin)
Niddry Castle (Ruin)
Staneyhill Tower (Ruin)
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Those are the castles in Scotland that we are going to attempt to visit whilst undertaking our challenge of visiting all the castles in the UK.
Visited so far: 5 / 181 (2 . 7 % complete)
Castles unable to visit due to safety concerns / closures: 6 (removed from challenge)
As you can see we have soo many more castles to visit, but we are really looking forward to travelling as a little family and visiting more castles and beautiful parts of the UK on our adventures. You can also check out the castles in England and Wales for more details of the castles we will be attempting to visit.
As always please do follow our social media pages and especially the new Castle Casanovas Facebook Page to keep up to date with where we are up to with the challenge.
Until Next Time
The Castle Casanovas
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