How I discovered Scotland through its Castles

I remember how I was feeling when I first moved to Edinburgh and how excited I was for this new chapter in my life. Granted, the reality has been quite different from what my fresh-out-of-high-school 19-year old me imagined, but I definitely was starting a new chapter. As I’m getting closer to graduating (yes, I now have a graduation date and yes, it’s kind of surreal), it’s forced me to reflect a little on the past four years. One of the goals I set for myself when I first found out that I’d be moving to Edinburgh was that I needed to explore every corner of Scotland.

To be entirely honest, I’m not sure I’m quite there yet (blame it on procrastination and broke student life), but I have been able to see a good chunk of Scotland—and because everyone who knows me will tell you I’m obsessed with castles, let me introduce you to the country that’s been my home for the past four years through its castles.

The first Scottish castle I visited was, surprise surprise, the Edinburgh Castle. I remember we went with a couple of friends on St Andrew’s Day because the entry was free, and no freshers have the money to pay £17 just to visit a castle—no matter how cultured or passionate. It’s definitely an impressive castle with amazing views as it sits on an extinct volcano in the middle of the city (how cool!). Legend has it, that any uni student who walks through the castle walls will fail their final exams—so wish me luck!

The second castle I’d been to, was Lauriston Castle, still in Edinburgh and therefore easy to get to, and close to Cramond Island, which is also worth checking out if you’re ever around these parts. Lauriston Castle is a lovely family castle with its last residents being from the Scottish Edwardian wealthy middle class of Edinburgh that became a museum in the 1920s. There’s also a lovely Japanese garden on the property that’s very Instagram-able, especially in the spring.

In February 2018, my family finally came to visit me for the first time, and I took them to a lovely little town west of Edinburgh for a daytrip. This town is called Linlithgow and is a home to a castle with the same name. This castle is the most famous for being the birthplace of Marry Queen of Scots. There is not much left of the castle, but I’d definitely recommend visiting and taking a walk around the lake just beside the castle—but beware of the swans!

My family visited me again in October that year and we decided to do a 4-day Highland road trip because that’s what Scottish tourism is all about. During this trip, we climbed Ben Nevis, saw more sheep and Highland coos than people, and I checked off three castles of my list—Eilean Donan Castle, Dunvegan Castle and Inverness Castle. If you’re ever in Scotland, please give yourself a favour and visit the Isle of Skye and with that, Eilean Donan and Dunvegan because they’re definitely up there with my favourite Scottish castles.

            Inverness Castle                                                                     Dunvegan Castle

Eilean Donan Castle

Speaking of my favourite castles—VISIT STIRLING CASTLE BECAUSE IT IS AMAZING AND I HAVE NOTHING MORE TO SAY ABOUT THAT. Oh, and also check out the Wallace monument while you’re in Stirling.

Last year was definitely a year of castles for me and I finally visited one of my best friends, Adam, who is currently crushing it in St Andrews, and so of course, I checked out the ruins of the St Andrews Castle while I was there. St Andrews is the most picturesque town in Fife and if you’re a fan of golf, you definitely need to go.

In spring 2019, I discovered Craigmillar Castle in the North East of Edinburgh, about an hour walk from my flat, that I fell in love and have visited several more times since then. It’s an absolute go-to if you want to find out more about Edinburgh/Scottish history and I would recommend you take a walk from the city centre through the Holyrood park and the lovely historical village of Duddingston to get there.

My next trip was to Doune Castle near Stirling, which should be on your bucket list, especially if you’re a TV buff as you could’ve seen this castle as Castle Anthrax in Monty Python & the Holy Grail, Castle Leoch in Outlander or as Winterfell in Game of Thrones.

And my last castle to date was the Inverlochy Old Castle in Fort William, which was the last thing I saw before climbing Ben Nevis for the second time.

It’s safe to say I’ve not only fallen in love with the castles, but also with Scotland in general and although I am graduating in a few months, I’m not planning on leaving anytime soon. There’s loads more for me to see and explore and I’m excited for all of it. Next on the list: Tantallon Castle and Dunnottar Castle!