Rampant Scotland Directory! The sometimes turbulent history of Scotland has left a legacy of castles and fortified houses in many parts of the country - particularly in the Scottish Borders and the Highlands. Inevitably, many have been reduced to ruins but what is perhaps surprising is that so many of them still survive as tourist attractions or even as hotels or family homes.
Note that there is a version of this page which has all the castle links (over 500 of them!) listed in Alphabetical Order which can be useful if you want a specific castle or if you are not sure of the spelling.
Other areas and aspects in the Rampant Scotland site of interest to the virtual tourist include:
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Joanne Winters, whose Internet Guide to Scotland already provides a wealth of information about the West of Scotland and the Inner Hebrides in particular, has been taking her camera around castles in the area and is thus providing an extensive list of castles (some quite unusual and not covered elsewhere) with information and graphics. She also provides an extensive list of castle links. Her own pages include the following castles:
This is a very comprehensive site covering the Scottish Borders (and drifting also into Lothian). Its main purpose is to provide access to the Hotels, Bed and Breakfast and Self Catering Rentals. But there is extensive coverage of Castles and History of the area, as the list below confirms! In addition to describing Mary Queen of Scots House and Linlithgow Palace plus Traquair House and a number of other castles around Scotland. A large number of pages about individual tourist attractions in Southern and Central Scotland. There is an equivalent page for Northern Scotland. The castles pages have basic information, opening times, how to get there and links to other nearby tourist attractions. The castles include:
Providing a number of atmospheric black and white photos of castles and some other locations, this site has thumbnails and larger (50kb) graphics plus extensive histories of the castles themselves. Copies of all the photographs are also available for purchase. The castles covered are: A large collection of Scottish Castles, Manors and Abbeys with a vast library of pictures together with histories and explanations of various features of the castles which are covered. As can be seen, while a number of the locations are well known, there are a number of castles included in this web site which are not described anywhere else. The site also contains sections on Grave Slabs and Pictish Stones and Stone Circles and Cairns in a similar detailed style. The specific castles covered in the castles section are: Here is a large collection of over 60 castles and towers, a number not covered in other Web sites, with many illustrations and a backround on their history. Created by Robin Fingerson after what must have been a busy vacation in Scotland. And there are pages on abbeys and kirks as well! The castles include: Scottish castles from around the country, with a number of excellent photos of each location. Castles covered include: About half of the members of the association are owners of castles in Scotland (though not all castle owners in Scotland have joined, so far). The aim is to improve public awareness of Scotland's castles as a valuable inheritance and encourage the responsible ownership, conservation and restoration of ruined structures at risk. One of the the other aims of the association is to create a permanent record of Scotland's castles and their individual histories. To that end they are creating web pages on the castles of all their members with pictures and information. The project is not yet complete but the list of potential buildings includes such locations as Ackergill Tower, Aikwood Tower, Airlie Castle, Arnot Tower, Balbithan House, Balcomie Castle, Balgonie Castle, Barns Tower, Blackhall Manor, Blairlogie Castle, Bognie Castle, Bonshaw Tower, Carriden House, Castlecary, Cloghan Castle, Colliston Castle, Cortachy Castle, Castle Craig, Cramond Tower, Dairsie Castle, Dalhousie Castle, Delgatie Castle, Denmylne Castle, Drochil Castle, Dunderave Castle, Earlshall Castle, Eilean Donan Castle, Elcho Castle, Fa’side Castle, Fernie Castle, Frendraught Castle, Garth Castle, Hatton Castle, Howgill Castle, Hunterston Castle, Castle Huntly, Kames Castle, Kelly Castle, Killochan Castle, Kilmartin Castle, Leny House, Leslie Castle, Liberton House, Liberton Tower, Lochhouse Tower, Lordscairnie Castle, Lundin Tower, Mauchline Castle, Melville Castle, Castle of Mey, Neidpath Castle, Niddry Castle, Ochiltree Castle, Peffermill House, Pitcairlie House, Plane Tower, Powrie Castle, Redhouse Castle, Rockhall, Rusko Castle, Sinclair/Girnigoe, Castle Stalker, Stoneypath Tower, Strathendry Castle, Castle Stuart, Wormiston House. Building up a wide collection of Scottish castles, each page usually has a photograph and a history of each building. There are also notes on how to reach and visit each location. Accessed by clicking on the index in each letter of the alphabet. This site provides a set of good pictures plus some text about a small number of castles around Scotland which formed part of a tour by an American visitor. We can all hope that our holiday snapshots turn out as good as this. Illustrations (in some cases paintings) of most of the castles to be found in this northern corner of Scotland. There are individual pages on:
Part of a larger tourism site, this section has illustrations and brief notes on the following castles in Scotland:
Based on an image map of Scotland showing the location of the castles, clicking on each item brings up a java driven graphic. The castles covered are :
A database of every British and Irish country house (from circa 1500 to 1945) ever built, extant or demolished. There are currently 6,000 country houses and castles listed, of which 770 are in Scotland. While many of the entries have only basic information, there is the potential to add more details in the future. Luxury hotels with a difference are provided by this company who arrange accommodation at a variety of castles. Those with individual web pages include:
Another tourist who has fallen in love with Scotland, this time Jos van Geffen from Holland. His list of castles visited and illustrated includes: One of the strongest clans in the Western Highlands, the Campbells were associated with a number of castles in the region. This site provides a detailed narrative on each and graphics on most. The castles are : The National Trust looks after a wide range of properties around Scotland. The Web pages give brief description of each one, together with opening times and a (small) illustration. The castles they are responsible for are as follows:
A comprehensive (and I do mean comprehensive) list of known castle sites and fortified buildings within the watershed of the River Clyde. A history is given on each site, complete with architectural description, legends and spooky tales. Family histories and place name origins are also explained. An extensive, liberally illustrated description of the history and architecture of the former home of the Kennedy family which was built by Robert Adam (between 1777 -1792). The author has plenty of "inside knowledge" of the castle - she is an official Secretarty/Tour Guide at the Castle! Part of a site dealing with images of William Wallace and Robert the Bruce, a number of castles are illustrated and briefly described, including:
Part of a larger site by Cameron Cunningham this slide show presents graphics and a description of a dozen castles - Stalker, Glamis, Urquhart, Stirling, Menzies, Caerlaverock, Eilean Donan, Edinburgh, Blair, Inverness, Dunvegan, Blackness. Historic Scotland is responsible for a large number of castles and other buildings within Scotland. Their site covers attractions, publications, sales, links, and a map for historic visitor attractions. There is basic information and one illustration in an irritating Java-driven display box, rather than a full page. Large alphabetic listing of castles of Scotland, with the county in which it is located. The Scottish selection of a site that focuses on castles and other executive prestige properties for sale or to let, buy or rent or for holidays, tours, conferences, weddings and visits. Lots of information on each location which covers castles in Scotland ranging from Armadale to Urquhart Castles and another 30+ Scottish castles. Part of a larger site covering castles, chateaux and manor houses in the UK and Ireland, France, Italy, Switzerland, Germany and Czech Republic. Well illustrated and presented Web site on this 14th century castle (with later additions) with its gardens and woods - and an association with Macbeth, due to William Shakespeare. There is a plan of the room layout, with links to illustrated pages on a number of them. Photographs and brief details of Ardtornish, Duntulm, Dunnyveg, Dunscaith, Dunluce, Invergarry, Mingary, Tioram and Urquhart Castles. Limited edition prints reproduced from oil paintings and featuring Castles Kilchurn, Urquhart, Duart and Eilean Donan. Launched in March 1997, the Web site for the British Monarchy includes one castle in Scotland, Balmoral and a palace - Holyroodhouse.
The folklore associated with this famous castle is covered in this page. In Loch Finlaggan on the island of Islay, lie two islands which contain the remains of buildings, many of which date from Medieval times, when this place was the centre of the realm of the Lords of the Isles. These MacDonald lords were descended from Somerled, a 12th century prince, and took their name from his grandson Donald. They ruled the islands and parts of the west coast of Scotland from Kintyre to Lewis, virtually independent of the control of the Scottish Crown. The illustrated site provides a historical backround and details of Finlaggan and aslo the new visitor centre there.
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Where else would you like to go in Scotland?
