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]

Location & info

📌 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 [Linn Jaw lower falls] 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 alth
More

Campsie Glen waterfalls

Image
East Dunbartonshire | Clachan of Campsie | Waterfalls | ★★★★ [Middle of the Campsie Glen upper waterfalls] In bygone years a path used to snake up the narrow gorge north of Clachan of Campsie. Rockfalls and warning signs now block the middle section, but short linear walks into the gorge from each end are still well worth it. A quick stroll from the bottom car park leads to the lower section of rapids. The upper car park on Crow Road is reached by a steep, 300 metre walk or a winding, 3 mile drive. Heading downhill from here (instead of uphill towards Cort-ma Law ) accesses the middle of 3 more waterfalls. All are worth a visit following wet weather if you don't mind a bit of scrambling, but the bottom one of this trio deserves special praise - as you can walk behind it. [Lower of the Campsie Glen upper waterfalls - seen from the cave behind (easily tall enough to stand up in)] Location & info 📌 Campsie Glen Lower Falls ★★ On the Kirk Burn immediately north o
More

Walk: Towpath, tunnel & Colinton Dell

Image
City of Edinburgh | Slateford | Short walk | ★★★ [Colinton Dell] The southwestern suburbs of Edinburgh conceal a true wee gem. Colinton Dell is one of the most intimate and scenic sections of the Water of Leith, carved deep into the bedrock between Slateford and Colinton. Loved by locals, it's well worth a quick trip out by bus for visitors staying in the city centre. This intricate circuit by canal towpath, dismantled railway (featuring a tunnel covered in eye-catching murals) and riverside path explores the water course on two vertical levels, with options for refreshments at the halfway point in Colinton Village - from where we feature a longer extension to Torduff Reservoir and Bonaly Country Park. [Colinton Tunnel] 📌 Walk: Towpath, tunnel & Colinton Dell ★★★ Start / finish at Water of Leith Visitor Centre (street parking available to west), Lanark Road (A70), Slateford, 3 mi southwest of Edinburgh Waverley station, G.R.: NT 221707 ///tree.pulled.judges
More