Glamis Castle is a beautiful castle in Angus, Scotland, that is currently lived in by Simon…read moreBowes-Lyon, 19th Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne, who succeeded to the earldom in 2016. Therefore, no photos of the castle were allowed during the tour. Pictures were allowed in the waiting area prior to the tour as well as in a room at the end of the tour. There was plenty of information provided on the history of the family and castle. Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon (Queen Mother) lived here, and her daughter, Princess Margaret, was born at Glamis Castle. It was also home to Queen Elizabeth II. This castle was the inspiration for William Shakespeare's Macbeth. Overall, the castle, gardens, and grounds were well maintained. When we got to the castle, we had to stand in a line to get in. The weather was on and off drizzly. However, the tour was well worth the wait. There is a gift shop and coffee shop. Glamis Castle has many beautiful gardens accessible to the public and are not a part of the tour. Weddings and other events are held at Glamis Castle.

This was a nice photogenic castle to visit, on the exterior anyway as no photos were allowed…read moreinside. It's located in the countryside about 30 minutes to the north of the town of Dundee. It was the childhood home of the late Queen Elizabeth. The grounds around the castle are open and well maintained as there is nothing else in the vicinity of the castle. Our tour group also had a nice little soup and sandwich lunch here in their on-site restaurant.

The Heritage Pass will get you in here. Very interesting castle. There's a mine and a dungeon. A…read morelittle creepy and dark. It's all pretty accessible. Go up the tower and walk around. There's a great view of the cathedral ruins from one of the towers. I thought it was worth it using the Heritage Pass. I don't know that I'd pay extra to get in.

Note: This is not closed! Not sure why it says this…read more Went a few weeks back. When you pay to go in, you walk through s brief little history lesson as well so you have some idea of what you're looking at. A gorgeous castle site on the coast. It's amazing soil erosion hasnt wiped this out in the hundreds of years. The edges of the castle still stand but most of the walls are collapsed from the battle destruction and wear and tear. There is still plenty to see and take in. They labeled what all the parts of the castle once were. You can even see the creepy dungeon prison. One of the cooler things is the tunnel. I couldn't do it because of general claustrophobia. But during a battle the enemy was tunneling under the castle. They started a counter tunnel to block them and they successfully did. So, you can walk through the original tunnel. Talk about being in the heart of history!

A beautiful old country house with historic charm. This gigantic mansion is home to one of the…read moreworlds finest art collections. The whole place can be rented for events and is truly worth it. Think Wayne Manor just for your group. We had a bbq reception there and it was just breathtaking to stand on the terrace and watch the sunset, and then going inside to listen to the jazz band playing their tunes.

So glad we ran across these Kelpies when we were in St. Andrews, so we could see them up close. We…read morefirst knew and saw Kelpies when our tour minibus was on the M9 driving back to Edinburgh from the West Highlands, and our driver pointed them out as we were passing by the small town of Falkirk. Andy Scott created the Kelpies, which are mythical equines that are said to have the strength of 10 horses. These sculptures are a tribute and hearken to Scotland's horse-powered past. You won't miss these horses. They're by the British Golf Museum and across from St. Andrews Links which is incidentally the birthplace of golf. It's going to be hard taking a pic of these horses without other people in your pics. There's simply way too many people around!

I've been there not so long ago and I'd recommend this place for anyone who wants to get away from…read morethe city rush but not move away from the city itself. Large gardens with lots of footpaths around the castle plus stunning views over the Firth of Forth (especially on a bright and sunny day), quiet with a bit of Victorian atmosphere stil in the air. A trip for a half a day with a picnic basket higly recommended!!

This doesn't top my list in terms of castle, but nonetheless fun to see if you happen to be in…read moreKirkcaldy. I parked down buy the beach then had to do some searching to figure out just how on earth to actually access the castle. Giant stair walk, then residential walk, then park walk later I was able to locate this castle. The park is quite big with access to a playground for kids so that's a bonus of you want to stretch out the day. It's nice, by the beach and free to access, but after the likes of St Bridget's Kirk and Arbedour castle this place pales in comparison.

Ravenscraig castle is a ruin build on a cliff top outside of Kirkcardy…read more I nearly missed the main entrance whilst driving out of town towards the East. LOOK out for the sign that says "Ravenscraig Park". Drive through the "gate" and you will notice a car park with limited spaces. You might even have the luxury of an ice cream van. I was not so lucky, but was able to find a car parking space up the main road. The park seems massive. Playgrounds everywhere. Lots of families with children. I walked along a path following the sign post "castle" and even passed some toilets and changing rooms. It felt like my surroundings started looking more dense with trees and other plants. AND there it was - in all its glory. I crossed a supposed to be drawbridge, well, a small wood bridge, to get to the ruin. Sadly, I was not able to explore any rooms as all entrances to the east and west towers were gated. However, the view from the castle towards the sea and the beach was amazing. There is no doubt that I had to use a lot of my imagination to block out the grey looking high storey towers of Kirkcaldy in the background and also ignore all the derelict rubbish on either side of the cliff. But still, the spirit remains and its walls tell you a story of a stormy and adventurous past. The castle started being build in 1460 by Mary, wife of James II, but was never finished until it exchanged hands and came into possession of the famous Sinclare family in Roslin. Its structure and walls were constructed to fend off rough artillery. If you look closer you might even see a secret passage leading from the coast into the...... A small pathway leads down to the beach and to the closeby dovecot. Nowadays the castle is maintained by Historic Scotland, but unmanned with restricted access. Still, it is a joy to all castle lovers!

Loch Leven Castle lies tucked away from the world. A hidden jewel!…read moreHowever, I would guess that Mary, Queen of Scots would have thought differently during her imprisonment there for a year and loosing her twins in the progress of events outside her reach. The view towards the castle from the restaurant and coffee shop as well as Historic Scotland membership cottage is breath taking. There is no walkway to the castle and you need to book a boat/ferry trip in advance. A small ferry goes every hour and if you miss a time slot you can use the time to either eat in the restaurant or go for a walk. Presumably the castle was build during the 13th century and played its part during the Wars of Independence. It changed hands between the Bruce and the Douglas families. Nowadays it is a ruin and you can walk around the island to your own merit. I will definitely be back.

Nice little hill in the centre of Dundee, quite like Arthur's Seat in Edinburgh in that regard. I…read morewent up twice during my trip, once when it was quite misty, and once when it was significantly brighter. The views are cool, stretching over the city, the Tay, and you can even see the two football stadia right beside each other as well. Quite interesting indeed. Worth a visit.

Wow...just wow...Carberry Tower is absolutely stunning and I was lucky enough to attend a wedding…read morereception here last night. When you turn into Carberry you are met by a long, tree lined drive with cute wee bunnies hopping around the grounds, I couldn't help but let out a huge "awwwwwwe" at the beauty in front of me. Round the side is no less beautiful with well groomed gardens and knee-height maze-like plants (yip I had a wee run round!). Then there's the hotel; full of olde-worldy grandeur (you know, the kind with knights armoury and shields dotted about the place), you can't fail to be impressed by its appearance, and inside is no different. It's a rabbit warren of snugs, stairwells, nooks and crannies and so much fun to explore. The library is utterly charming while the drawing room has a piano tucked away in one corner (cue chopsticks by a slightly inebriated me!). There is a very small bar, which for a wedding wasn't ideal due to the large number of guests (probably fine for regular stays however), and a word of warning, it isn't cheap...2 (single) Hendricks and tonic waters...£14! And sadly not even served with cucumber! Bar prices aside it was a really lovely venue for a wedding, I'm told there is even a Chapel in the grounds - you can't get more romantic really. As an evening guest I haven't tried the food so don't feel I can award the full 5 stars but it's definitely now on my radar to go back for a meal.

I feel that my experience of this gorgeous hotel was tainted slightly by the fact that I was…read morestaying here prior to having Major surgery the next day. The hotel is set in stunning grounds and we found it quite easy to find. We had booked through booking.com and experienced no issues with the booking process. We were allocated room 315 which was right at the top of the hotel with a window that unfortunately was painted shut. It was an unbelievably hot night when we stayed and the room was stiffling hot. It would have been nice to be able to open the window for fresh air. Although our room was compact there was a great use if space and we were very grateful if the free water! Due to my appt we didnt sample breakfast the next morning but I did manage to make great use of the amazing white company toiletries on offer and the shower was brilliant! I would really like to return here and stay when i dont have the stress of such a major life event looming where i can truely relax.

For historians, even those whose knowledge of Scottish "history" (used loosely) stems from multiple…read moreviewings of Braveheart (yeah, you know who you are!), there are several sites in Stirling that are must visits. The Old Stirling Bridge is one of them; the Wallace Monument and Stirling Castle being at least two others. Fortunately, Stirling isn't all that big, and you can easily walk between the three without too much effort, and you'll be rewarded with gorgeous river views, and a bit of actual historical education along the way, for your trouble. Just make sure you end up on the Old Stirling Bridge, and not the adjacent A9 overpass. It may look similar, but you wouldn't want to get run over by a lorry while daydreaming about Mel Gibson in a kilt and wielding a claymore. That would just be weird.

I thought I would have been able to walk to this while at Stirling castle but it looked quite a…read morewalk away so I optedW to snatch some quick photos while driving past on the coach which was just as thrilling for me as actually being on it and it is a stunning bridge as bridges go due to its history. Hopefully one day I might get the chance to actually stand on it, touch it, feel it but for now I'm happy to have this stunning photo.