Dunnottar Castle

Visit Dunnottar Castle for an unforgettable experience. A dramatic and evocative ruined cliff top fortress in a truly stunning setting.

 

Dunnottar Castle is one of Scotland's finest ruined castles, a huge 9th century fortress set on a three sided sheer cliff jutting out into the sea, providing dramatic views. Film director Franco Zeffirelli used the castle as backdrop to his movie version of Hamlet.

 

Once the principal fortress of the northeast, its ruins are splattered with bloodstained drama. In 1297 the entire English Plantagenet garrison were burnt alive by William Wallace, while one of the more gruesome tales from thye castle's history tells of the imprisonment and torture of 122 men and 45 women Covenanters  in 1685, an event 'whose dark shadow is for evermore flung athwart the Castled Rock,' as reads the churchyard insciption. 

 

Originally the home of the Earls Marischal, once one of the most powerful families in the land, the last Earl was convicted of treason for his part in the Jacobite rising of 1715 and his estates, including Dunnottar Castle, were seized by the government.

 

The 1st Viscountess Cowdray embarked on a systematic repair of the castle in 1925, and it has been open to visitors since.

Address:

Dunnottar Castle

Near Stonehaven
Aberdeenshire, AB39 2TL 

Scotland, UK

 

Dunnottar Castle is located just off the main A92, Stonehaven/Montrose road, less than two miles south of Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire

Opening Times:
Easter Monday (13th April)-  20th June, Monday to Saturday, 9.00 am to 6.00 pm.
Sunday, 2.00 pm to 5.00 pm

21st June to 26th September, Daily, 9.00 am to 6.00 pm

27th September to 24th October, Monday to Saturday, 9.00 am to 6.00 pm

Sunday 2pm - 5pm

25th October to Easter Sunday next year, Friday to Monday, 10.30 am to sunset.

Opening hours are weather permitting.
Last ticket must be purchased 30 minutes before closing.

Admission:
Adults £5.00
Children (under 16 years) £1.00

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