We were able to visit four of the 2000+ that still stand in Scotland and I was not disappointed with our selection. There are so many more that I wish we would have had time to see, but they will have to wait for the next trip.
The castles we made it to were Edinburgh Castle, Stirling Castle, Dunnottar Castle, and Caerlaverock Castle. Today I want to discuss the pros and cons of each to hopefully help your own decision making process. Or just to feed your wanderlust - either works for me ;)
Edinburgh Castle:
We spent probably around 3 hours here and still didn't see absolutely everything. We didn't use the audio guide here either which likely would have taken longer.
Pros:
-Edinburgh Castle is super well preserved. It has played an important historical and political role over the years and so is very well established.
-It houses two museums, the Scottish crown jewels, and the Stone of Destiny.
-Awesome signage of what things are & their significance.
-It's huge so there's s ton to see.
-Helpful staff stationed around the entire grounds
-Beautiful views
-At the end of the royal mile and near other tourist attractions
-The castle has a super interesting history and there are signs and an audio guide that can tell you all about it.
Cons:
-So. many. people. It was so busy there that it was super slow going looking at things and there were several annoying people taking roughly a million selfies in front of the things anyone might want to look at. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for selfies. But take a few and move on!
-Not necessarily a con, but it's up a pretty steep hill which might be useful information for some.
-There are some battlements you can walk along, but there isn't a true wall walk here - again not really a con but if you're picturing walking the walls of Edinburgh Castle, you'd be disappointed.
Stirling Castle:
We spent 2 hours here and left wishing we had 2 more! It is so magical and interesting and there is so much to see that we didn't make it to.
Pros:
-Much less busy than Edinburgh Castle
-Easy to get to (has it's own parking lot)
-Astonishing history tied to Robert the Bruce, William Wallace, and Scotland's freedom.
-Has a full wall walk which is super, super cool.
-Cemetery on site, if that's your thing.
-Really well preserved but feels less touristy
-Absolutely stunning views
-Near the Wallace Monument (which, unfortunately, we didn't make it to)
Cons:
-Doesn't have great signage, I'd recommend using the audio guide.
-Again, up a steep hill so if you're walking you might need to be aware of that.
Dunnottar Castle:
We didn't actually have the time to trek down (and then back up) into this castle. But we did get to stop and take in the stunning views! I want to live where I can see this all the time. For real.
Pros:
-Hands down one of the top 5 most stunning places I've ever seen.
-Has a neat hike into the nearby village.
-Really cool history (running theme here).
-Has it's own parking lot.
-Literally on the coast, if that's your thing.
Cons:
-Stairs. From the trail, you have to go down a ton of stairs to get to the castle (again, we didn't have time to do this).
-Not as well preserved as Edinburgh or Sterling Castles (notice the lack of roof)
Caerlaverock Castle:
We spent 2-3 hours here and loved every minute!
Pros:
-It's a ruins so you can touch way more stuff than you can at a better preserved place.
-Has a parking lot.
-Is a unique triangle shape.
-Has a moat!
-You can climb aaaall the way up into the towers which is one of the coolest things ever.
-Not on a hill.
-Located in a lovely countryside.
-There was a literal siege on it and there's a little museum documenting the battle.
-Pretty good signage for a place that isn't as intact as others.
Cons:
-It is a ruins, so no roof and home to an uncomfortable amount of pigeons (uncomfortable for someone with a phobia of flying things, that is).
-The water around it is pretty stale and so the place doesn't smell great.
-No roof, which might be important to know on a rainy day.
Basically Europe (Scotland specifically) is super cool. It was an amazing feeling to walk through buildings that are older than my entire country! If you could go to only one castle, I'd ask what you're looking for in order to make a good recommendation. Comparing Edinburgh to Stirling, I'd choose Stirling because it offers many of the same things that Edinburgh does without the crowds (although it does not have the draw of being smack in the middle of Edinburgh). Comparing Dunnottar to Caerlaverock is a little more tricky because we were not able to actually go into Dunnottar. However, the dramatic landscape around Dunnottar has to make it the winner for me. Just by a sliver though because Caerlaverock was incredible in its own right.
My personal favorite was Stirling Castle because it felt so castle-y (I love the wall walk!) and it's tied to a really important piece of Scottish History. It also is surrounded by great views (including the Wallace Monument) and had a distinctly different feel to it than the other castles we visited. I've always had a fascination with castles - the history, the ingenuity in their construction, the cool stone walls and heavy tapestries, etc. I've always suspected I'd like to live in a castle and visiting Stirling Castle proved that suspicion true.
My next post will touch on Highland Games, some more minor stops of our trip, and other tourist-y things we got to do. After that, watch out for my post on our Orkney experience.
Thanks for reading!
Netti
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