Alright - so I'll be honest - I have never stayed in Faside Castle, so I cannot comment on the hotel, self catering accomodation, it's prices (which are 3 figures), or what the breakfast is like, but I can tell you about it's location. As a kid growing up under it's shadow, it represented a tantalising fantasty - what was this place? Was it abandoned (not at the time), was it a lunatic asylum (that one lasted for years and only just confirmed via it's website that it isn't)? Either way, i wanted to live in it's gothicy interior, even though I had the vague suspicion it might be (as it was in my head, abandoned) full of pigeon poo.
I've only recently even figured out how to get there by road - leave the main route into Tranent from the A1 and head up from Birsley Brae - or follow the same single road from an unsigned road just beyond the Wallyford exit onto the A1 heading towards Inveresk (see, not just a yelper you know, I am a blooming travel guide n all!).
There are also a number of footpaths for the walker or cyclist to reach there from all around the area. What you get is a visual feast for the eyes as you scan across the Firth of Forth on a clear day. If you are lucky, you might see some of the deer that live in the field next to the castle (at least they used to - haven't seen them around for a while). The castle itself looks remarkably small up close to what it looks like from below, but it's still a fantastic structure and if your coffers are deeper than mine (and I didn't live half a mile away) perhaps check out it's accomodation and let us know what it's like? read more