Tantallon Castle

East Lothian | North Berwick | Castle | ★★★★

[Tantallon Castle]

Tantallon Castle is all about scale. Its huge size makes this one of the most impressive fortresses in the Scottish Lowlands, with a 4 metre-thick curtain wall protecting a large inner ward. Built by William Douglas in the mid-1300s, custodians Historic Scotland describe it as "Scotland's last great medieval castle", starkly defensive and almost completely lacking windows. On approach the clifftop castle looks one-dimensional, but crossing the bridge and passing through the single entrance portal reveals several subsidiary buildings and three great towers built into the curtain wall. Steps - lots of them - go all the way to the top for great views over the site and out towards Bass Rock.

[Doocot]

📌 Tantallon Castle ★★★★
Off A198 3 miles east of North Berwick, G.R.: NT 596850 ///bagpipes.guilty.declares
Open daily | £6 adult / £3.60 child / free for Historic Environment Scotland members

[View from inside the curtain wall]

Comments

Post a comment

Popular posts from this blog

Walk: Livingston's jaw-dropping waterfall

Image
West Lothian | Livingston | Short walk | ★★★
❕ Route currently impassable - see red text below

What springs to mind when someone mentions Livingston, West Lothian? Sprawling road junctions, retail parks, 1960s architecture... how about a splendid waterfall? Under a mile from the town's southernmost suburbs, the Camilty Water drops into a short but beautiful gorge sharply at odds with the gentleness of the surrounding farmland. Two substantial waterfalls and several smaller ones tumble into the depths; the largest is actually fed by a crumbling mill lade (the mill no longer exists) but this isn't obvious from below. Parking is limited, but the walk from the nearest road begins promisingly. The last few hundred metres of the route are however a bit sketchy: stepping stones across a side burn, and a very slippery slope to reach the best viewpoint - more details below.

Important

The house and gardens alongside the path are someone’s home, and although we have a so-called "right…
Read more

Loup of Fintry

Image
Stirling | Fintry | Waterfall | ★★★★

Winding through gently scenic nowhere land between the Campsie Fells and Fintry Hills, the Endrick Water unexpectedly takes an almighty 94-foot plunge into a side-on gorge. This is one of the most spectacular waterfalls in the Scottish Lowlands (although Corra Linn and Grey Mare's Tail both come close), so why it's not better known is something of a mystery. Perhaps it's because the Carron Valley Reservoir upstream blocks much of the burn's catchment area, so waiting until after a period of local heavy rain is even more important than with other waterfalls. Nevertheless, this awesome cataract should be right at the top of your list.


Location & info

📌 Loup of Fintry ★★★★
By the B818 1 mi east of Carron Valley Reservoir dam, G.R.: NS 662862 ///breezy.operation.survived
Always open | Free

Anything else? There are informal laybys with space for about 5 cars in total on both sides of the road near Gallows Knowe, G.R.: NS 661864 ///than…
Read more

Walk: The muckle trickle at Stichill

Image
Scottish Borders | Stichill | Short walk | ★★★

A few miles north of Kelso, the usually unexciting Eden Water abruptly plunges over a rocky lip amidst a wooded glade. The beauty spot is part of the old Newton Don estate, with an old folly decorating the approach; best views of the falls are actually from the north bank, which is accessible by stepping stones but only in times of low flow. Despite a dense network of paths, access is a little complicated owing to limited parking, walls, gates and houses. Having tried a couple of routes we think that approaching from the northeast is the route least likely to impinge on the privacy of local residents; this also has the advantage of following the pleasant river rather than stumbling through overgrown fields and woodland. There are a couple of important points to note. First: the nearest proper parking in Stichill village is a kilometre along a busy road with little or no verge. Second: paths can be muddy, so wellies might be a good idea af…
Read more