Aberdour Castle
The castle over looks the harbor at Aberdour, parts of the castle were built in the 14th century.
Ardchattan Priory
Located NE of Oban. Founded in 1230 by Vauliscaulian monks. Robert the Bruce used it as one of his meeting places for his parliament. Burned by Cromwell in 1654. Now only partial reminds are left and some carved stones and the gardens.
Balgonie Castle
The tower house was built in the 14th century on the S. side of Loch Leven. Additional parts were built on in the 16th and 17th centuries. In 1776 it was set on fire by Rob Roy MacGregor.
Barcaldine Castle
Located about 9 miles north of Oban. Also known as the Black Castle because of the color of it's stones. Built in 1590 by Sir Duncan Campbell known as Black Duncan. It's now a B & B.
Burleigh Castle
Two miles N.E. of Kinross you will find the ruins of a tower house from about 1500's.
Craignethan Castle
Located a few miles west of Lanark. The castle was built in 1532 and destroyed in 1579. Although in ruins, a lot remains of the castle to see and well worth spending some time here.
Culross Palace
The palace was built between 1597-1611 and well worth seeing the interior.
Dirleton Castle
Located in the village of Dirleton, west of North Berwick. The earliest part of the castle was built in the 1200;s, with additions in the 15th c. and the 17th c. Destroyed in 1650. The ruins are well worth seeing and has many photo opportunities.
Doune Castle
Built in the late 14th or early 15th century. This is an impressive castle even though it's in ruins. Take a walk around and inside, it also has roof top walkway.
Drumlanrig Castle
Built between 1676 and 1689 with local pink sandstone. Sits amid hugh woodland which contains the ruins of Tibber Castle, destroyed in 1311.
Dunkeld Cathedral
Founded in the 9th century on the edge of the Tay River. Additions were added on in the 15th century. After the Battle of Dunkeld, when the town was rebuild in 1689, they build the little houses. Today they are residential homes, so you can only see the outside. They are worth the stop here, they are picturesque and unique.
Dunstaffnage Castle
Located 5 miles north of Oban. Most of the ruins that are there today were built in the 1200's. But there has been a fortress here since the 600's for the kings of Dalriada. The people of Dalriada were known as the Scoti, from northeast Ireland. Their kingdom occupied part of Argyll, Arran & northern Ireland.
Dunfermline Abbey
This is the burial grounds of Robert the Bruce, he is buried under the choir. This Benedictine Abbey was founded by Queen Margaret in the 11th century, additional parts were build on in 13th century and in the 1800's .
Edinburgh
One of the most famous castles and also one of the most magnificent. It has a commanding few of the city. To get the true view of how hard this place would be to attach, take the trip like i did, from the bottom of the hill from princess street, my wife wasn't too thrilled, i didn't thing to tell her how hard this was going to be. I walk 5 miles a day and i was struggling to get up this hill, about half way, my wife was asking me, why didn't we use the road like the rest of the people. Anybody can do it that way. We made it though and I've got to tell you that would be a trip in armour and people shooting at you. Once you get there the view is beyond words and the interior of the castle is worth seeing, but use the road instead of climbing the hill. The oldest part was built in the 11th century. Also in Edinburgh on High St, the Royal Mile is the John Knox house built around 1490, John Knox lived her somewhere between 1566 to his death in 1572. Also on The Royal Mile, which runs from the Edinburgh castle at the top, is the Palace of Holyroodhouse ( 13th c. ) at the bottom, sitting below Arthur's seat. Holyroodhouse is the official residence of the Queen of Scotland. All along the Royal Mile are store, restaurants, pubs etc. If your looking to do some serious shopping walk to Princess St, which runs parallel to the Royal Mile. Princess St is the main shopping street for tourist, but a bit expensive, if walk to the side street from there you might mind the same thing a bit cheaper.
Falkland Palace
A royal palace in the renaissance style, built from 1501-1541 in the town of Falkland.
Fortingall
Lies on the River Lyon. It's a bit of a drive on a narrow road to get to this quaint little town. They have the oldest yew tree in Britain and possibly the oldest in Europe. It's between 3,000 and 5,000 years old. The little town also has some picturesque thatched cottages. The town is believed to be the birth place of Pontius Pilate.
Killin
You enter this picturesque village across a stone bridge ( built in 1760 ) over the River Dochart and you have a great view of the Falls of Dochart. The town has shops, restaurants and accommodations. You can climb town to the falls and set on the rocks and eat your lunch or just enjoy the view.
Kingussie
Just a little south are the Ruthven Barracks, which stands on hill where the Wolf of Badenoch once had a fortress. The barracks where built around 1716 to keep the Highlanders under control.
Linlithgow
The ruins if this palace are splendid, it was build after 1424, when the previous building burned down. The chapel and great hall were built in the late 1400's. Mary Queen of Scots was born here in 1542. In 1746 the palace was burned down, a second time. Never the less, it's still a magnificent building with a great cemetery, if your into cemeteries like we are. I've been here several times and it's well worth repeat visits. On the east side of Linlithgow you will find The House of the Binns, a gorgeous building dated from the early 1600's and has been occupied for 350 years. The building has incredible plaster ceilings.
Loch Leven
Located near Kinross, on an island in Loch Leven. The tower was built in the late 14th century. Mary Queen of Scots was imprisoned here in 1567. The Wolf of Badenoch was also a prisoner
here in the late 14th century.
Moffat
A quaint little town with lots of shops,bakeries, restaurants and accommodations. A good place to stay if you want to do hiking. About 10 miles N E of Moffat is the Grey Mare's Tail a waterfall that has a 200 foot drop, it was carved by glaciers during the ice age.
Morton Castle
Stands on a bluff that slopes down sharply to Morton Loch. The road to the castle is narrow with very few pull overs and it's a curvy road, so backing up is tough. The original castle on this site was built in 1307, but torn down sometime after 1357. The remains that you see today are from 1440.
Neidpath Castle
Located just outside of Peebles. Built in the 13 th century ( approx. 1310 ). The walls are 11 feet thick. It sits on a hill on the N. bank of the River Tweed.
Peebles
The settlements in this area goes back thousands of years. The English burned the town in 1403 and again in 1548. A mile to the west is Neidpath Castle, built in 1370, survived, but most of what you see today dates from the 1500's and 1600's. The main street running thru Peebles is High St., this is the shopping area with stores, bakeries, restaurants etc. You can see the ruins of the old Cross Kirk, built in 1261.
Ravenscraig Castle
An imposing castle but in ruins, built around 1460, located between Dysart and Kirkcaldy.
Scone Palace
Located 2 miles N. of Perth. The present castle built in 1803, also incorporates the earlier castles into one structure. The ancient Abbey, built in 1114, was destroyed in 1559.
Stalker Castle
Located approx. 25 miles north of Oban. Built by Duncan Stewart in 1540, sits on a Rocky islet at the mouth of Loch Laich by Loch Linnhe. It fell into ruins after 1780 and was restored in the 1960's.
Traquair House
Located S E of Peebles. It is the oldest inhabited house, built in 10th century. Originally a hunting lodge for the kings and queens of Scotland. Most of the mansion was rebuilt in 1642.
Urquhart Castle
Located on the edge of Loch Ness. Once one of the largest castles in Scotland, is now extensive ruins. The castle was blown up in 1692 to prevent the Jacobites from occupying it. The loch is over 700 feet deep in some places. Urquhart is believed to originally be a Pictish site in 597. Stories of the Loch Ness monster go back to the 7th century when the Abbot of Iona wrote about it in his biography.
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