Dunnottar Castle is my all time favourite castle. It is the location of the castle and the surrounding nature that really attracts me to it, and that as well as the fact that I’m left to explore the grounds exactly as I please makes this my favourite.
I wanted to tell you about this some time ago, as the last few posts from my Scotland road trip, but as you know, suddenly came December, and suddenly came London, and Dunnottar had to wait.
The castle is just a short walk from Stonehaven, which again is a few miles south of Aberdeen on the North-East coast of Scotland. The location of the castle is to die for, and one can clearly see the advantages of having such a stronghold in times of trouble.
It costs about a fiver to get in (we’re talking local currency here) and then you’re left to roam the grounds. There are signs here and there telling you where it’s not safe to climb, and also a few plaques of information placed here and there.
From the northern walls you can see a war memorial which fits in beautifully with the atmosphere of the castle. It looks somewhat like a small watchtower or beacon of warning to warn the castle dwellers of the Vikings coming from the north (now, there is little evidence of Viking activity along exactly this stretch of coastline, but go with flow here)
Anne blabbers 
Beautiful place, make it my business to visit there once a year. Shame how you have to pay to get in though!
It is gorgeous! I wish I would be able to visit once a year, I have for the past few years and will do my best to continue the tradition.
I gladly pay a fiver though. How else will they finance keeping these treasures open to the public and maintaining them enough for silly people like me to not get killed climbing those walls?
Wow I can see how it is your favorite. Wish we had places like this on this side of the Atlantic. Guess I’ll just have to come over for a visit!
There’s nothing like the real deal! We have no castles in Norway either (or we do have buildings we call castles, at least one, but we are pretty much just fooling ourselves), but there are plenty of places that would look so much better with a castle, or a ruined castle… I might just have to build one 😉
Wow, that’s one castle I’ll try to visit sometime next year! Do you know you can get into Scottish castles for free for St Andrew’s weekend? Here are some of my favourites I’d highly recommend 🙂 http://redandrose.wordpress.com/2011/11/29/st-andrews-weekend-the-chance-to-visit-scottish-castles-for-free/
Thank you for the recommendations! I will certainly make them part of my plan if travelling the area. I have already been to Edinburgh castle, but unfortunately too late in the day to see much else but other tourists…
I wasn’t in Scotland for St Andrew’s weekend, but really don’t mind paying the entrance fee to the castles. As I said earlier: how else are they to finance the maintenance?
det så fantastisk ut, der vil jeg også en eller annen gang 🙂
skottland er en plass vi skal, når vet vi ikke, men vi skal der, og da bør kanskje dette være et mål 🙂
Dunnottar e ein plass som bør besøgas ja 🙂 Isje vanskelig å komma seg derte heller 🙂 Eg bler gledelig me som guide!