There are more castles in Scotland than you can shake a haggis at. From haunted chambers and crumbly walls, to stately turrets and ornate carvings, here is our selection of the country's most famous, impressive and historically charged structures that open their doors (and drawbridges) to the public.
Edinburgh Castle
The majestic look-at-me castle perched on an extinct volcano dominates the skyline. This powerful national symbol has seen many changes throughout the centuries, and today it is a mix of palace, fortress, war memorial and military barracks. It is home to the Stone of Destiny on which Scottish monarchs were crowned until Edward 1 of England invaded Scotland and took the stone to London. In 1996, Her Majesty The Queen allowed the stone to be returned to Scotland after 700 years. The Scottish Crown Jewels, known as the ‘Honours of Scotland', are here too, plus mighty Mons Meg, a 15th-century siege cannon. The One O'clock Gun, established as a time signal for ships, fires from the ramparts each weekday, regularly alarming pedestrians on Princes Street below.
Location: Castlehill, Edinburgh
Tel: 0131 225 9846
Owned by: Historic Scotland
Eilean Donan Castle
In an impossibly romantic setting at the point where three sea lochs meet, romantic Eilean Donan is one of the nation's most photographed. In 1331 the Earl of Moray hung 16 Mackenzie heads on the walls after he executed them for law breaking. Ruined during one of the Jacobite risings in the early 18th century, it was restored to all its glory two centuries later, and is now the headquarters of the Clan McRae. Although the island of Eilean Donan has been a fortified site for at least 800 years, the present building dates largely from the early 20th century. The Banqueting Hall has a selection of fine furniture, a fragment of tartan which belonged to Bonnie Prince Charlie and other historical curios.
Location: Dornie, by Kyle of Lochalsh, Ross-shire
Tel: 01599 555202
Owned by: Conchra Charitable Trust
Crathes Castle
Crathes Castle was certainly not designed to accommodate the unwelcome visitor: the building tapers toward the top to make it impossible for unwelcome guests to shelter beneath the battlements while assaulting the castle; on the off-chance a determined intruder made it inside, they were most likely met with a pot of boiling oil. If a highly lucky soul made it past that, then negotiating the staircase would be his downfall, the eleventh step cunningly booby trapped. Bountiful King Robert the Bruce granted the lands of Leys to the Burnett family in 1323 and the ancient Horn of Leys, now in the Great Hall, marks his gift. Original Jacobean painted ceilings survive in the Chamber of the Muses, the Chamber of Nine Worthies and the Green Lady's Room where visitors have reported seeing a spectral green mist.
Location: Crathes, Banchory, Aberdeen & Grampian
Tel: 0844 4932166
Owned by: the National Trust for Scotland
Glamis Castle
As if straight from the pages of a fairytale, the impressive Glamis (pronounced ‘Glamz') Caslte, was the childhood home of Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, youngest daughter of the 14th Earl, who later became Queen Elizabeth, mother of the present Queen. A royal residence since 1372, this is said to be one of Scotland's most haunted castles. The phantom of Earl Beardie is said to play cards non-stop with the Devil in a secret room, while the ghost of Lady Janet Douglas, widow of the Earl of Glamis who burned at the stake as a witch in 1537, has been seen in the family chapel. Another phantom - a woman with no tongue - is said to haunt the grounds. The Castle, which is full of splendid tapestries and weaponry, also finds itself mentioned in Shakespeare's Macbeth.
Location: Glamis, Forfar, Angus
Tel: 01307 840393
Owned by: the Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne
Stirling
Similar to Edinburgh Castle in design and location, Stirling Castle has been at the centre of the country's history since it was built. It stands on Castlehill, a volcanic rocky outcrop surrounded by steep cliffs on three sides. Several Scottish Kings and Queens were crowned in Stirling Castle, including Mary, Queen of Scots, who spent her childhood here. Architecturally, it offers an array of riches including James 1V's vast Great Hall, the largest medieval banqueting hall ever built in Scotland, and the Chapel Royal built for the baptism of Prince Henry in 1594. It towers over some of the most important battlefields in Scotland's history: Stirling Bridge, the site of William Wallace's victory in 1297; and Bannockburn, where Robert the Bruce defeated the English in 1314.
Location: Castlehill, Stirling
Tel: 01786 450000
Owned by: Historic Scotland
Balmoral Castle
Nestled amongst the magnificent scenery of Royal Deeside, in the shadows of the dramatic Lochnagar mountain, is Balmoral Castle. Bought by Prince Albert for Queen Victoria in 1852, it has served as the official Scottish residence of the British Royal family ever since. The Balmoral Estate extends to more than 20,243 hectares (50,000 acres) of heather clad hills, ancient Calendonian woodland and the River Dee. Queen Victoria established an unconventional, homely Court here, and described Balmoral, built in the Scottish baronial style, as ‘my dear paradise in the Highlands'. However, not everyone thought as highly of it: Disraeli disliked it, Lady Dalhousie said ‘I never saw anything that I coveted less', while Prince Leopold, Victoria's son, had such an aversion to it he refused to go there at all - much to his mother's annoyance.
Location: Ballater, Aberdeenshire
Tel: 013397 42534
Privately owned
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