This property claims to be the oldest inhabited house in Scotland, dating from the 10th century. Therefore, it is an interesting stop on any tours of Scotland. It is definitely something of a hidden gem. It sits in Peeblesshire near Inverleithen, and was originally a Royal Hunting Lodge. Inside...
This is one of Scotlands four Royal Palaces. It stands on a promontory of Loch Linlithgow. Its ruins are worth visiting on any tours of Scotland. It has many striking architectural features and is usually not that crowded with visitors. It has been a royal residence since at least...
It is worth visiting Borthwick on any tours of Scotland for a couple of reasons. Firstly, Borthwick Castle dates from 1430, and is very interesting. It has always been regularly occupied. There is a rectangular tower over 100 feet high, with two wings. Borthwick Castle walls are 12 – 14...
First-time visitors to Edinburgh usually have in mind at least two essential sights: the castle and the palace. Holyrood – comprising the abbey, the park and the palace – begins at the northern slope of Arthur’s Seat. The original palace was begun in about 1500...
Castle Island is not the largest on Loch Leven (St Serf’s is) but it is certainly the most famous, a distinction arising out of the island’s connection with Mary Queen of Scots. During the years 1567-8, she was imprisoned here, the unwilling guest of Lady...
A massive collection of stone, with a heavy cubist beauty, Hermitage Castle sits isolated beside a rushing stream surrounded by bleak, empty moorland. Dating from the 13th century, but substantially rebuilt in the 15th, it embodies the brutal history of the Borders; the stones themselves...
Edinburgh owes its existence to the Castle Rock, the glacier-worn stump of a long-extinct volcano that provided a near-perfect defensive position guarding the coastal route from North East England into central Scotland. Back in the 7th century the Castle Rock was called Dun Eiden (meaning ‘Fort...