Despite a turbulent history, part of the 13th century structure of the Dirleton Castle Scotland remain. With beautiful gardens and a large fortress to explore, it is a fun castle to visit. Discover it in video and photos:
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Dirleton Castle Scotland - Video
Let's start with a short video showing you the exploration of Dirleton Castle Scotland :
INFO & PLANNING TIPS - Dirleton Castle Scotland
TIPS FOR TRAVEL PLANNING ADDICTS
How to get to Dirleton Castle Location
- Located in the town of Dirleton - Large parking nearby
- Shore are East Lothian (east of Edinburgh)
- 15 min drive from Tantallon Castle
- Dirleton Castle from Edinburgh: 40min drive (Exit via A1, and near Tranent turn to take A198)
The GPS coordinates and location on a practical map are available on both Travel Guide eBooks: The Road Trip Guide Scotland and The Road Trip Guide: Edinburgh to Skye
Visiting Dirleton Castle Scotland
- Dirleton Castle opening times - Apr to Sep: 9:30 to 5:30 - Winter: 10am to 4pm (last entry 30min before)
- Entry price: £5.50 per adult as of 2016 - is included in the Explorer Pass
- Toilets at the parking
- Easy to walk around. Good paths. Not many stairs.
- Good Scottish castle to visit with kids - safe stairs and higher levels, a lot to explore
- You can make a day out of visiting the monuments in the region with Tantallon Castle, Seton Church, Crichton Castle and Craigmillar Castle
- Plan at least 1h to explore the Fortress and enjoy the garden
Access to Dirleton Castle and Gardens
From the large parking you cannot miss the entrance.
Once inside, you can up the small watch tower for a good view of the garden. Then you walk through it, reach the pigeon house (from the 16th century) before approaching the ruins of the fortress.
On the way back you can continue de loop and discover another part of the park with beautiful trees.
Dirleton Castle History
Below are a few Dirleton Castle facts to give you some context:
- The oldest parts were built in the 13th century
- It was abandoned in the 17th century
- It was in the middle of many wars, taken and retaken... It served 3 noble families over 400 years: the Vaux, the Haliburtons and the Ruthvens
- The donjon is the most intact piece of the architecture from the 13th century. Most of the rest of the fortress is from later constructions
- The pigeon house (dovecot) date back to the 16th century and is just under 8m tall. With more than 1000 nesting boxes, it is a famous feature of the castle as it is one of the best preserved pigeon houses.
- The gardens were started in the 16th century and the wall built in the 19th. The current gardens and plantations are however more recent
Here is a drawing of what the castle would have looked like:
Dirleton Castle Facade
The main facade of the fortress is was remains in better shape. You can see how strong the building was. Plus I find it very photogenic 🙂 but I had to use my panorama fonction with the iPhone, since my normal lenses could not picture the whole thing!
Exploring Dirleton Castle Scotland
Entering the Dirleton Castle Scotland sets you in the mood, with the bridge, the arch and the stones.
There is a lot to explore, with explanatory signs in every area. Or you can just sit and relax, taking in the atmosphere.
Don't forge to go down in the prison and discover the underground tunnels
Part of the underground was the kitchen
Upper levels of Dirleton Castle Scotland
You can also climb a little bit (although not as much as in Tantallon Castle), to discover the upper levels.
Want to see more of SCOTLAND?
Discover more things to do & places to see in my Travel Scotland Destination Guide.
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