Dunnottar Castle

Work has begun on the pathway to the Castle! We are adding wooden edging and improving the surface and drainage to make it more durable for our increased number of visitors 😊
Don't worry, we have opened the field next to the path so you can still access the Castle 👍
Over the next few weeks we are doing a number of works to the Castle to improve it for next year. We will keep you updated with our progress 😊

We had to share this wonderful picture of the Castle. It was featured in The Times newspaper last week. Great picture Chris 🙂

What a glorious October day it was yesterday! I thought it would be a great time to give you a peek behind the scenes at Brian cutting the grass 😎 doing an expert job.
For those of you wondering how we got the lawnmower inside the Castle, it was taken apart and carried in piece by piece - and now stays in the Castle! 💪hope you are all having a lovely week so far! 🍂🍁 •• #dunnottarcastle #behindthescenes #autumndays #october #visitscotland #visitaberdeenshire #visitabdn

Back in June we received a query from JTB Publishing, which is a subsidiary of the JTB travel agency in Japan.
They were planning to produce a ‘pilgrimage’ travel guide for locations used as inspiration for Disney movies and asked if Dunnottar Castle could feature in the section dedicated to ‘Brave’,since it was one of the castles which inspired Merida’s home.
A copy of the book was kindly sent over and was delivered yesterday!

Had to share this from @tashy_3 Bonnie Scotland indeed! 😍 Autumn brings the best skies. •••• #scotlandisnow #visitaberdeenshire #visitscotland #dunnottarcastle • • • • •... We spent the morning at my favorite castle. You never disappoint, Bonnie Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 ❤️ .. . .. . .. #adventureswith🥝 #dunnottarcastle #sunrise #getoutside #castle #scotland #stonehaven #homeland
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Exciting news in our latest blog post!
https://www.dunnottarcastle.co.uk/…/tha nk-you-our-best-sum…/

Back in July, Dana Frigerio, an Italian garden designer, visited the Castle.
She is Editor in Chief/Publisher of Blossom zine, a free digital magazine dedicated to flowers and travel.
She was highly impressed by the Castle ruins and surrounding landscapes and decided to include an article on the Castle in the most recent issue along with other areas of Scotland, please have a look via the below link :)
... https://issuu.com/blossomzine/docs/n22_au tumn_blossom_zine
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Although autumn is closing in, Scotland stays open all year.
This video perfectly showcases why visiting our wee country in the off-season can be an unforgettable experience. But remember to bring warm clothing! ❄☔🌧🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

Touchdown! The helicopter being used tomorrow has arrived at the Castle. Sorry for the shaky video it was very windy! *Reminder* The Castle will be opening late tomorrow (6th September) due to the helicopter bringing in essential supplies. We will update our website to let you know when we are open. There will be no access to the Castle beyond the car park or along the path from Stonehaven. Sorry for any inconvenience. ••• #dunnottarcastle #aberdeenshire #stonehaven #dunnottar #castle #scotland #helicopter #sunshine #history

**CASTLE NOW OPEN** Thanks for your patience everyone!
The heli-lifts are underway! A pretty amazing sight don't you think? The helicopter is bringing in essential supplies for the Castle too large or heavy to be carried in normally.
... Unfortunately the Castle will be closed this morning. We aim to be open by lunchtime but please not if you are planning a visit there is no access along the footpath from Stonehaven or beyond the car park. Sorry for any inconvenience!
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Dunnottar in bloom! It's a great day here today. The flowers around the cistern are spectacular this time of year.
Did you know the cistern is over 7 metres deep? The rain water it gathers was used to make ale, people's primary drinking source as water was hard to sterilise. Last century it was excavated and five cannon balls, four brass pans, a Dutch pot, a small French sword and one and a half silver teaspoons were found at the bottom. 👍 ••... #dunnottarcastle #flowers #summer #scotland #sunshine #history #visitscotland #scotspirit
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Next week - Tuesday 4 and Thursday 6 September - we will be opening late due to a heli-lift bringing essential supplies to the Castle.
We aim to be open by lunchtime, but if you are planning a visit to the Castle on those days be aware of the later opening time. You can check our website on the day which will be updated once we are open.
We are sorry for any inconvenience this may cause.

This is a great event at Crathes Castle. CLAN at the Castle has three sponsored walks starting at Crathes - ranging from 1.3 miles to 12.3 miles - to raise money for CLAN Cancer Support. There will also be a fun day with inflatables and food available on the lawn of Crathes Castle. A worthy cause and a great day out for all ages!

Here’s an idea of something else to do after you’ve visited the Castle this weekend 😊

For anyone who wishes to see amazing photographs of Scotland, this group is well worth following...some great shots of the Castle featuring today.

C&L Catering, working in partnership with Dunnottar Castle, currently have an opening for a Catering Assistant to join the Seasonal Team. Dunnottar castle attracts around 110,000 visitors from all over the world each year. We are looking for an enthusiastic character that has a friendly, can do attitude with the wiliness to go that extra mile for our visitors. The Job is estimated to be around 30 hours per week and will primarily involve working from our award winning caterin...g unit at the castle, serving up teas, coffees, drinks, and food from out Scottish themed menu whilst engaging with the visitors.. The secondary role is also to provide information to visitors such as other nearby attractions, places to visit, helping with any issues and providing support to our partner staff at the castle. To apply please email your details and CV if you have one to Liam-clcatering@outlook.com Or for more information contact Liam on 07530131520 This Job if offered by C&L Catering who are Catering Partners to Dunnottar Castle and not offered by Dunnottar Castle
http://www.candlcatering.com/
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We have a new Piper! This is 13-year-old Will who will be busking at the clifftops over the summer playing traditional Scottish music. He is excellent. If you see him say hello! Donations welcome.

Here’s a great chance to support a worthwhile charity, see the link for details of the cycle event which starts from Dunnottar Castle on Wednesday morning and finishes in Stonehaven on Sunday afternoon. The cycle event spans 5 days, but for a more leisurely option, take part in the 5K family walk on the Sunday :-)

Musician and music journalist John Robb paid us a visit earlier today and was gracious enough to spend some of his time having a chat.
He played a gig with his band The Membranes in Aberdeen last night and has a tradition to pop in and visit Dunnottar Castle when in the area.
They are on their way to Paisley to play tonight at The Bungalow.
... #JohnRobb #TheMembranes
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We spent three hours there even with rain the whole time. Had a great time! So interesting! Cons - no gift shop. The number of steps and stairs just to get inside. Pros- because of the cons the entry fee is only £7 each! There are so many places to explore! So many amazing views. William Wallace & Mary Queen of Scots has a part of the Dunnottar story. I will recommend it over and over. If you need a place to stay, I have a rec for that too!

This place was absolutely amazing.

We loved the walk, and how it seemed to take you back in time.

And the location was breathtaking.

We will be back.

The Krauses.

Australia.

The spectacular castle and wonderful place!

Stunning location, breath taking views on both the approach and upon entry Made all the better by a gorgeous September morning. The castle itself is well preserved and the grounds are immaculately presented and clean, it must be a joy to work there are see this everyday! If I can find any fault at all it is the fact there is no souvenir guide book to take away with you, instead your offered an app! Been to just about every main castle in England, Scotland and Wales and always purchase a guide as they are informative and remind you of your visit. Would happily have paid more on the entry price and paid similar for a guide, oh well still a fabulous day out.

Our #1 favorite ruin/castle after visiting many around all of Scotland the past 4 days! Ocean, castle, deep history, fog, Scotland!!!

This one takes your breath away and makes your imagination go wild! Only thing that would have made it better is if it was on the “Historic Scotland Explorer 5-day pass list” so we could visit the interior again and again. Highly recommended and awesome!

My first visit was very emotional for me because it is the home of my ancestors, the clan Keith. I loved walking among the ruins and the beautiful garden. It is well cared for and s splendid place to spend a day.

Much neater than Edinburgh Castle was. Well worth the cost, considering Edinburgh Castle was £17.50. As others said, the steps back up were brutal, I had a 20lb backpack on because I'd already left my hostel and had no where to leave it. They could easily ask £3 for baggage storage and I'd have been happy to have paid it after seeing the stairs. The castle was simply amazing and far less crowded, well worth the trip out there from Aberdeen (which was boring). I was there on a Sunday.

Most hauntingly beautiful ruined castle right here in my hometown in a stunning setting.�So much history , I adore this place so much.x.��

Looking like just ruins in a beautiful scenery from the distance, but there was so much to see. We were unfortunate enough to have absolutely horrible weather with strong winds and heavy rain, still enjoyed every minute though. Not only just the castle but the waterfall, cove, the sea, everything. Only downside was the lack of a detailed paperback guide. And stairs on the way back were just soul destroying ;-) on the bright side though, there's this little van called C&L Catering, one simply MUST stop there for a warm drink and yummy fish and chips (and to get your car battery issues sorted if you get stuck like we did :-( ). Surely we will go back some time in the spring or summer time :-)

If you're only going to see one castle in Scotland, make it Dunnottar. It's got to be one of the most amazing castles in the UK. We're here for our honeymoon and we're lucky to see Dunnottar in some rare Scottish sunshine. The view on approach is breathtaking and you basically don't regain your breath until the way out! Yes the stairs are tough but not a deal breaker, you simply have to try to get here!

Fantastic place but it’s a long way down before you have to walk up to the castle it’s fantastic when you get there you can see for miles and you are looking down on the seagulls so if you are a bird � whatcha puffins and loads of others

Excellent place far far better and spectacular than we expected. The walk from the harbour is beautiful with lovely views of the castle as you approach.

Dunnotter Castle, fantastic place to visit, dogs allowed on lead, lots of steps unfortunately but if you take your time they are manageable, can be cold so wrap up, highly recommended

Beautiful castle! The scenery is amazing and we loved to walk around and enjoy the different views! It's also much bigger than I expected and we spent a few hours walking around to look at everything. It's quite a few steps to get to the castle and to get back to the carpark afterwards but it's such a breathtaking view so I didn't mind it at all � Would love to come back for another visit! �

Awesome place ! My partner and myself loved it and will be back with the whole family

An absolutely magical place, made even more special because my lovely fiancé asked me to marry him there :) Can't wait to go back in years to come.

Always wanted to visit this castle finally got there on saturday 7th. Was great to see so many foreign tourists along with Scottish ones visiting. It’s only an hour and a half drive from Fife

Would recommend it to everyone. And at £7 entry it was a bargain �

Absolutely stunning and breathtaking. One of our most dramatic castles in Scotland. There are so many different views to capture on film depending on where you choose to walk. The steps are all part of the experience and there is a great sense of walking through history as you climb down. After entry to the castle, you can access the beach from the bottom of the steps and choose to take the longer route along the beach cove with a more gradual walk back along the cliffs to the car park. Enjoy even more amazing views of the castle. You've not seen a castle until you've seen Dunnottar!

A large detour on my road trip to revisit and photograph the Castle after many years of absence it seemed I even had planned the weather this morning.



Imagine my utter disappointment when walking down the path towards the castle and I see a temporary fence blocking the route to the best view of the castle and one that shows the dramatic position to the max. It seems ‘essential’ works are being carried out on the route to the south along the cliffs, however, according to the locals it’s been shut off for weeks.



Thinking the backup location would be on the beach to the right, however it seems that yet again this has been fenced off permanently losing the ability to photograph it from a lower position.



No notification on either the website or on Facebook that these routes are closed. Pretty poor show. Had I known the top route was closed I wouldn’t have bothered as that was the whole reason for the trip to the castle.