Scotland’s Best Clifftop Castles

I Love Castles. It’s pretty straightforward and I’m sure if you’re reading this then you do too! However, with over 2000 Scottish castles spread far and wide, it can be hard to choose which to explore. When it comes to atmosphere and sheer rugged beauty, it’s hard to beat a tower perched on precariously high cliffs.

To help you on your travels, I’ve put together the following list of Scotland’s best clifftop castles. This is only my opinion, although once I’ve told you some of their stories then hopefully you’ll agree with me. If you don’t, then feel free to let me know in the comments where you think should have made the list!

Dunnottar Castle

It makes sense to start off a list of Scotland’s best clifftop castles with the most obvious choice. Dunnottar Castle is one of the best known and most loved Scottish castles, and for good reason. Rather than just a single tower overlooking the sea, Dunnottar is a whole complex of buildings sprawled on a jutting peninsula. With only one narrow path towards the castle gate, this was one very secure position.

So secure that in the 17th century, the Honours of Scotland otherwise known as the Scottish Crown Jewels were hidden away here. Oliver Cromwell had already melted down the English regalia and the Honours of Scotland were next on his list. They had been used to crown King Charles II at Scone but with Cromwell prowling the Lothians, they needed moved somewhere safe. Where better than one of the strongest clifftop castles in the country?

Somehow, word got out and Dunnottar Castle found itself under siege by Cromwell’s troops. This almost impregnable fortress held out for 8 months against one of the strongest armies that Britain had ever seen. It was only a matter of time though, the garrison knew they wouldn’t last forever. The Honours needed moved again.

Over the course of a few months, the crown, sword and sceptre were smuggled out by Christine Fletcher. Her husband was a local minister and so the pair buried the treasure under the floor of Kinneff Church. The wise couple dug everything up periodically to keep them from deteriorating. When Charles was restored, the Honours of Scotland were returned and the role of Dunnottar in this chapter of Scottish history is proudly remembered.

The castle is open all year round, find everything you need to know about visiting here.

New Slains Castle

We’re still in Aberdeenshire but this Scottish clifftop castle has a very different feel. New Slains Castle looks very fitting for its name, almost like a new unfinished building. The castle was first built on this blustery section of coast at the very end of the 16th century by the Earl of Erroll. Since then, New Slains has been added to, adapted and finally abandoned. The hard Aberdeenshire granite of this roofless wonder seems to have barely weathered at all throughout the ordeal.

As well as the crashing north sea and the wind whistling through the windowless walls, New Slains has another feature that makes this a spooky spot. It was part of the inspiration for the original Dracula novel. Bram Stoker wrote much of the book in nearby Cruden Bay and frequently visited New Slains when it was still in one piece. There are lots of Scottish clifftop castles, but only New Slains has the octagonal hall that features in the book.

Who knows, maybe Bram Stoker got some of his Dracula inspiration from Scottish legends of the vampiric Baobhan Sith.

There has been plenty of talk, although no action, about turning New Slains from a clifftop castle into a clifftop hotel. A project like that has many pros and cons which I won’t get into here but just in case it goes ahead, I would schedule a visit sooner rather than later. It’s a bit of a walk out but you’re able to wander the ruins freely once there.

Castle Sinclair Girnigoe

Sinclair Girnigoe – the castle so good, they named it twice. Contrary to Wikipedia belief, this isn’t actually the ruins of two castles side by side. Like so many Scottish castles, it started its life as a single tower built in the 14th century and was steadily expanded by subsequent owners.

Henry Sinclair was the man who probably built the original Castle Girnigoe on these easily defended cliffs. It really seems to grow right out of the rock! You’ll need to concentrate to work out where the cliff stops and the stonework begins. Over the years, as the power of the Sinclair Earls of Caithness grew, so did the castle.

In the early 17th century, new buildings were constructed and the Earl petitioned parliament to change the name to Castle Sinclair. The request was granted but the new name didn’t really catch on. Just as many people called it Sinclair as were still calling it Girnigoe. Even official documents couldn’t seem to decide which one to choose. Confused clerics just assumed these were the names of two separate castles, built side by side.

The compromise of calling it Castle Sinclair Girnigoe is a bit of a mouthful, but it gives one of Scotland’s best clifftop castles a bit of extra character.

The castle would have been quite simply enormous in its heyday. Fortunately, the Clan Sinclair Trust have set about consolidating and potentially restoring this incredible place. It’s free to park and walk along to explore the first section of the castle at the moment. Hopefully one day soon, visitors will be able to safely get a little deeper into Castle Sinclair Girnigoe.

Culzean Castle

As the only still habitable option, Culzean Castle is very different than the rest of the strongholds on the list. It’s clearly not built for defence so is it really one of Scotland’s best clifftop castles?

The castle spent much of its early life as a simple towerhouse, owned by a minor branch of the Kennedy family. Eventually, the old castle of Culzean came back to the main chief of the clan. The Earl of Casillis decided to remodel the castle to meet 18th century standards. This modern mansion swallowed the original tower and the thick walls are still evident when wandering the plush halls.

In 1945, Culzean Castle was handed over to the National Trust for Scotland with one interesting condition. The top floor was to be gifted to General Dwight D. Eisenhower as thanks from the Scottish people for his role in WWII. He visited four times including once as President of the United States. You can even rent the Eisenhower suite as a holiday apartment.

That’s all very interesting (in my opinion), but the real reason Culzean makes my list is because of what lies below. Take a walk down to the beach and you’ll find several openings in the cliff face. Those lead to caves that stretch deep underneath the castle. Rumoured to be the haunt of either smugglers or fairies, you can read a whole lot more about them here.

Culzean Castle is one of the most popular National Trust for Scotland properties, so find out more about visiting here.

Tantallon Castle

Perched on a rocky outcrop jutting out into the Forth, Tantallon Castle is as impressive today as when it was built almost 700 years ago. The gargantuan curtain wall, protecting a courtyard surrounded by cliffs, still invokes a sense of awe today.

Built by the powerful and often rebellious Douglas family, Tantallon Castle saw plenty of action in its time. Most of it was due to the lack of respect that the Douglases showed the crown. In the 15th century, the 5th Earl rebelled against both James III and IV. The 6th Earl carried on the family tradition by marrying the King’s widow, then trying to make off with the young James V.

Tantallon survived 2 sieges by the Scottish Crown just to be destroyed by Oliver Cromwell’s army in the mid 17th century. It’s an eerie place to wander on a wet and windy day, the sound of crashing waves echoing around the walls. The views from the battlements though, are nothing short of spectacular.

The castle is run by Historic Scotland and information on visiting can be found here.

Duntulm Castle

Duntulm Castle on Skye is a bit of a curveball on this list of clifftop castles. It’s not a mighty fortress and it’s definitely not a luxurious home. It isn’t even safe to wander through the small amount that remains! What it does have though, is a bucket load of history and lots of resident ghosts.

The castle has had several distinct phases of life which tie a lot of the story of the Isle of Skye together. It started as an Iron Age broch before being utilised by Vikings. The MacLeods then moved in until the MacDonalds later kicked them out. Eventually, it was abandoned in the 18th century and left to be enjoyed by the seabirds and ghosts.

There are the rasping groans of Hugh MacDonald’s thirsty spirit, left to die in the dungeon. Margaret MacLeod’s ghost weeping from her single eye after being mistreated by her MacDonald hosts. That insult led to the infamous War of the One Eyed Woman.

Donald Gorm the 8th chief stomps around Duntulm in a drunken manner, trying to start friendly brawls. No wonder it isn’t safe to explore the ruins.

The final ghost is the most upsetting of them all. It reminds us that while having a Scottish clifftop castle would be great for defense, it made a dangerous place to live. A careless nursemaid once dropped the baby of a MacDonald chief from a window. Her ghost is said to haunt the ruins and the cliffs below, desperately trying to find the child.

Parking for the castle is a small lay by on the road, then it’s a short walk through a field to the boundary fence.

Honourable Mentions

There are plenty of notable castles teetering on cliffs that didn’t make this list. In truth, I could have easily kept going but I had to draw a line somewhere. I have to say that Dunskey Castle in Dumfries and Galloway can feel hard done by and Keiss Castle in the far north is another that almost made the list.

Every single one of these castles is worth visiting at some point. Hopefully the list has given you a few ideas and some inspiration to get out onto Scotland’s coastline. If you need any more inspiration then why not give some love to these less visited castles?

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