Glamis Castle is a beautiful castle in Angus, Scotland, that is currently lived in by Simon…read moreBowes-Lyon, 19th Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne, who succeeded to the earldom in 2016. Therefore, no photos of the castle were allowed during the tour. Pictures were allowed in the waiting area prior to the tour as well as in a room at the end of the tour. There was plenty of information provided on the history of the family and castle. Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon (Queen Mother) lived here, and her daughter, Princess Margaret, was born at Glamis Castle. It was also home to Queen Elizabeth II. This castle was the inspiration for William Shakespeare's Macbeth. Overall, the castle, gardens, and grounds were well maintained. When we got to the castle, we had to stand in a line to get in. The weather was on and off drizzly. However, the tour was well worth the wait. There is a gift shop and coffee shop. Glamis Castle has many beautiful gardens accessible to the public and are not a part of the tour. Weddings and other events are held at Glamis Castle.

This was a nice photogenic castle to visit, on the exterior anyway as no photos were allowed…read moreinside. It's located in the countryside about 30 minutes to the north of the town of Dundee. It was the childhood home of the late Queen Elizabeth. The grounds around the castle are open and well maintained as there is nothing else in the vicinity of the castle. Our tour group also had a nice little soup and sandwich lunch here in their on-site restaurant.

I've been there not so long ago and I'd recommend this place for anyone who wants to get away from…read morethe city rush but not move away from the city itself. Large gardens with lots of footpaths around the castle plus stunning views over the Firth of Forth (especially on a bright and sunny day), quiet with a bit of Victorian atmosphere stil in the air. A trip for a half a day with a picnic basket higly recommended!!

We had a wonderful visit to Braemar Castle in Braemar Scotland. The staff at the castle were…read morewonderful! Kind, informative and very professional. It was such a nice visit to such a beautiful place! Thank you for making our visit memorable :)

The Heritage Pass will get you in here. Very interesting castle. There's a mine and a dungeon. A…read morelittle creepy and dark. It's all pretty accessible. Go up the tower and walk around. There's a great view of the cathedral ruins from one of the towers. I thought it was worth it using the Heritage Pass. I don't know that I'd pay extra to get in.

Note: This is not closed! Not sure why it says this…read more Went a few weeks back. When you pay to go in, you walk through s brief little history lesson as well so you have some idea of what you're looking at. A gorgeous castle site on the coast. It's amazing soil erosion hasnt wiped this out in the hundreds of years. The edges of the castle still stand but most of the walls are collapsed from the battle destruction and wear and tear. There is still plenty to see and take in. They labeled what all the parts of the castle once were. You can even see the creepy dungeon prison. One of the cooler things is the tunnel. I couldn't do it because of general claustrophobia. But during a battle the enemy was tunneling under the castle. They started a counter tunnel to block them and they successfully did. So, you can walk through the original tunnel. Talk about being in the heart of history!

This doesn't top my list in terms of castle, but nonetheless fun to see if you happen to be in…read moreKirkcaldy. I parked down buy the beach then had to do some searching to figure out just how on earth to actually access the castle. Giant stair walk, then residential walk, then park walk later I was able to locate this castle. The park is quite big with access to a playground for kids so that's a bonus of you want to stretch out the day. It's nice, by the beach and free to access, but after the likes of St Bridget's Kirk and Arbedour castle this place pales in comparison.

Ravenscraig castle is a ruin build on a cliff top outside of Kirkcardy…read more I nearly missed the main entrance whilst driving out of town towards the East. LOOK out for the sign that says "Ravenscraig Park". Drive through the "gate" and you will notice a car park with limited spaces. You might even have the luxury of an ice cream van. I was not so lucky, but was able to find a car parking space up the main road. The park seems massive. Playgrounds everywhere. Lots of families with children. I walked along a path following the sign post "castle" and even passed some toilets and changing rooms. It felt like my surroundings started looking more dense with trees and other plants. AND there it was - in all its glory. I crossed a supposed to be drawbridge, well, a small wood bridge, to get to the ruin. Sadly, I was not able to explore any rooms as all entrances to the east and west towers were gated. However, the view from the castle towards the sea and the beach was amazing. There is no doubt that I had to use a lot of my imagination to block out the grey looking high storey towers of Kirkcaldy in the background and also ignore all the derelict rubbish on either side of the cliff. But still, the spirit remains and its walls tell you a story of a stormy and adventurous past. The castle started being build in 1460 by Mary, wife of James II, but was never finished until it exchanged hands and came into possession of the famous Sinclare family in Roslin. Its structure and walls were constructed to fend off rough artillery. If you look closer you might even see a secret passage leading from the coast into the...... A small pathway leads down to the beach and to the closeby dovecot. Nowadays the castle is maintained by Historic Scotland, but unmanned with restricted access. Still, it is a joy to all castle lovers!

A beautiful old country house with historic charm. This gigantic mansion is home to one of the…read moreworlds finest art collections. The whole place can be rented for events and is truly worth it. Think Wayne Manor just for your group. We had a bbq reception there and it was just breathtaking to stand on the terrace and watch the sunset, and then going inside to listen to the jazz band playing their tunes.

I agree with the previous reviewer wholeheartedly. Ross Priory is one of the most overlooked…read morebuildings in Scotland. It is absolutely incredible. A must for visitors to Glasgow. Even the drink prices at the bar are reasonable. The only problem is, the priory is not anywhere near a train station. So you bring your car or get a train to Balloch then a taxi.

Ross Priory, on the bonny bonny banks of Loch Lomond, is one of the loveliest building I have ever…read moreseen. My brother got married here on a scorching day a few years ago and it was just stunning. Designed in 1812 by Dunblane-born architect James Gillespie Graham, the priory, despite the name, was never a home for monks. It was bought by Strathclyde University in 1971.

Huntingtower Castle is to be found just west of Perth beside the junction of the A9 and the A85…read moreCrieff road. Both the grounds and the castle are beautifully cared for and the staff are very knowledgable and friendly. Essentially, the castle is 'ruins', although there is still a lot to discover and you can walk right up to the roof. there is a room that is laid out for weddings - what a lovely place to get married. No tea shop or anything spectacular in the way of a large gift shop and the gardens themselves are rather small. We went on a 'heritage weekend', which meant that it was free entrance, so look out for other offers. Normal entry is approx £5 I think. Watch out for the bats who live in the roof....

The remains of Huntingtower Castle can be found west of Perth on the A85. Its well sign posted and…read morecan also easily been seen from the A85. The staff is very friendly and operate out of a little shed just beside the castle. There are toilets. I made my way to the original staff entrance to the west and worked my way up the spiral stairs accessing various rooms of the previous owners, like the bed chambers of the Lord and Ladies. The original owners were the Ruthven who fell out of favours with the crown after several kidnap and hostage attempts of their young king during their times. The Ruthven leader of the "Raid of Ruthven" was beheaded and his sons murdered 15 years later. After the "Gowrie Conspiracy" the Ruthven name was proscribed and their lands seized. Ruthven castle became Huntingtower and was given to the Murrays.Guess James never forgave them being held captive for at least 10 months. There are a lot of interesting rooms in that building, but the most interesting part for me were the battlements on which u can walk around the towers high up. Apparently the gap between two originally separated towers is called the 'maiden's leap" and named after an event when a fair lady jumped across a 3m gap from one tower to the other to escape her mothers scorn of being caught in the arms of her lover. Ehm, I saw the gap and am a bit doubtful she would jump that.........but hey ho, I guess, if mum is after you....:-) You can find out much more about this place from the guidebook or various boards inside the castle. The place might not look as awesome as other sites nearby, the history on the other hand is quite an interesting one. I also read that a Green Lady is haunting this place. She is called Lady Greensleeve and is said to foretell.....xx...but sometimes is helpful to souls in need. Ehm, am I glad I did not know this before I went and am I glad I did not see her :-D Enjoy!

I'd normally start by telling you a little about the history. There's just way too much to…read moresummarize here. Just know that the castle was once in ruin like the others in the area. We can thank George Stuart (14th Earl of Moray) for repairing it by adding a new roof in the 1880s. That makes it very worth the £10 admission fee for an inside tour of the castle. It's worth a stop even if you don't plan on taking the tour. Have you ever seen the British comedy, Monty Python and the Holy Grail? It's the castle that you see in the funniest part of the movie when the French soldier is taunting King Arthur. There were other movie scenes filmed in and around the castle as well. What's cool is that there's a free transcript of the audio guide on their website that tells you where all the scenes took place. It was fun just to retrace the steps of the Trojan Rabbit on the pathway in front of the entrance. So funny! It's definitely a dry & satirical form of humor that I didn't quite understand the first time I saw it, but now I do. Duone Castle was also seen in Game of Thrones (the pilot episode) and Outlander. It's just a great filming location since it's out of the way, and along the River Teith. There are walking trails that will take you to the site of where a Roman fort used to be. The village is also nearby if you want to get a bite to eat. It was a nice stop on our way to Glencoe.

We were staying in the area for a few days. Didn't have much time though, got lots of plans. But…read morestill made some time to check out the famous Doune Castle. And since we are members of Historic Environment Scotland the entrance was free of charge. The carpark was full though - so we parked on the public lot behind the Co-op in town. An easy 10 minute walk away. The Castle is famous - many will know it from Game of Thrones or Outlander. But for me - and many many others - it will always be connected to Monty Python and the Holy Grail! The Audio-guide is even narrated by Terry Jones! The way the castle looks today is largely down to 'Scotland's uncrowned king'. Doune was the seat of Robert Stewart, the 1st Duke of Albany and Governor of Scotland. He acquired the castle in 1361. What we see today is probably only half a castle. Whether Doune was completed, and what might have been lost, is unclear. But even what remains today is very impressive and in great shape. If you do not feel like paying the entrance, you still can enjoy the outside views and even walk around it or enjoy the grounds outside. But going in (we took turns - since we were travelling with our Bulldog) is well worth the price and time. Monty Python used the exterior for shots as well as the interior. The courtyard inside is where the wedding party was taking place with John Cleese (as Lancelot) going berserk. But there's a lot more to see inside. Besides all the big halls inside, there are lots of small corners and hideaways to be discovered. As well as a lot of history to read (or listen to). A really good visit and not to be missed for fans or history buffs! Staff was wonderful, really friendly and welcoming. Surely a highlight on this years Road Trip through the UK. Highly recommended.

On a rainy day on our Perthshire holiday we decided to head to the Beatrix Potter Exhibition &…read moreGarden in Birnam for some indoor fun with our 1 year old. I have to be honest I wasn't expecting much, but I was proved wrong. This is a really lovely place that I wouldn't hesitate to recommend to visitors with little ones. The exhibition is housed in Birnam's Arts & Conference Centre. Outside is a lovely garden with sculptures of the animals that Beatrix made famous through her books. Inside is a lovely gift shop with Beatrix Potter themed goods, and a great range of non-Potter related cards, books, gifts, toys, and trinkets... Downstairs is the exhibition area. This is relatively small compared to other exhibitions/museums, but it's appeal for us was the great range of play activities for the little ones. From drawing and colouring on blackboards and at old school desks, to playing shop, playing with puzzles, dressing up, and reading books - this was a great way to spend an afternoon with our little one. I feel this is really geared towards younger kids under 8, but was just perfect for our inquisitive 1 year old. Upstairs is the Foyer Cafe, where we enjoyed some lovely coffees. The staff here were really lovely too!

A lovely place to go adult and child alike! Personally, I love Peter Rabbit, Miss Tiggywinkle etc…read moreand this museum is a real tribute to 'Miss Potter', There is a large ish shop selling lovely books and other memorabilia. The 'museum' itself is quite small, yet informative and very hands on for the kids. There are also clothes for the kids to dress up in. Beatrix Potter took holidays in Dalguise in Perthshire (now a PGL centre) before her family changed their holiday destination to the Lakes.