The roll · The Castle Rolls
Ruined castles in Scotland.
Every ruined castle in Scotland on this roll, 47 of them, each with its Google rating and the fact that decides the trip: whether you can walk in free, pay at a staffed gate, or only see it from outside.
The Castle Rolls lists 47 ruined castles in Scotland, and you can go inside 37 of them. 20 are free to walk into, 17 are staffed and charge for entry, and 10 can't be entered on the latest information held. All 47 carry a Google rating, averaging 4.5 across 72,138 reviews. Historic Environment Scotland looks after 38 of them.
This page lists every Scottish ruin the roll holds and puts each one in one of three groups, because the group is what tells you whether a visit will work. A free ruin is usually unstaffed, so there is often no shop and no toilet. A staffed ruin charges at the gate, and some open only from spring to autumn. A ruin with no entry can still be worth the stop for its setting or its grounds, but you won't get inside the castle.
The 10 best-reviewed ruins
Ranked by the review-weighted score used across this site, which pulls each rating towards the UK-wide castle average of 4.50 until enough reviews stand behind it. Only ruins with at least 300 Google reviews are eligible, so a five-star score from a handful of visits can't lead the list.
Dunnottar Castle
4.8 across 13,279 Google reviews. Aberdeenshire. Staffed, with an entry charge. Dunnottar is a ruined fortress on a rock promontory above the North Sea, reached by a steep path down and back up from the clifftop car park.
Tantallon Castle
4.7 across 2,763 Google reviews. East Lothian. Staffed, with an entry charge. A dramatic red sandstone ruin on the East Lothian coast, its great curtain wall and three ruined towers facing off against the sea with Bass Rock rising in the distance.
Caerlaverock Castle
4.6 across 3,128 Google reviews. Dumfries and Galloway. Staffed, with an entry charge. A triangular, moated castle, one of only a handful of this design anywhere, with the foundations of an earlier castle a five-minute walk away, plus a surrounding nature reserve with coastal paths and a bird hide.
Kilchurn Castle
4.6 across 1,974 Google reviews. Argyll and Bute. No entry to the castle itself. A ruined 15th-century tower standing on what was once an island in Loch Awe, with mountains rising behind it in a setting reviewers repeatedly call cinematic.
Carnasserie Castle
4.8 across 462 Google reviews. Argyll and Bute. Free to walk in. A free 16th-century tower house ruin standing above Kilmartin Glen, one of Scotland's densest concentrations of prehistoric monuments, reached by a short but steep climb from the car park.
Dirleton Castle
4.6 across 1,264 Google reviews. East Lothian. Staffed, with an entry charge. A medieval fortress a short trip from Edinburgh, ringed by gardens that reviewers rate as highly as the castle itself, and substantial enough inside (kitchens, a great hall and a former prison) to reward a proper explore.
Duffus Castle
4.6 across 1,227 Google reviews. Moray. Free to walk in. A motte-and-bailey castle with a later stone tower added on top of the earthwork mound - a combination that's caused the tower to visibly subside and lean over the centuries, which is now as much the point of visiting as the history itself.
Huntly Castle
4.6 across 1,013 Google reviews. Aberdeenshire. Staffed, with an entry charge. The ruined seat of the Gordon family, once one of the grandest palace-castles in the north of Scotland, with heraldic stone carvings on the entrance front that reviewers rate among the best surviving anywhere.
Castle Kennedy
4.7 across 459 Google reviews. Dumfries and Galloway. No entry to the castle itself. A ruined castle standing at the heart of the Stair Estates' seasonal gardens, its walls now more backdrop than destination.
Skipness Castle and Chapel
4.7 across 372 Google reviews. Argyll and Bute. Free to walk in. A free castle on the Kintyre peninsula with a history reaching back to the 1200s, its 16th-century tower house still largely intact, with stairs to the parapet open in the summer season.
Free ruins, and what free means here
20 of the 47 ruins have no entry charge and no booking. Most are in the care of Historic Environment Scotland, which leaves its unstaffed sites open to anyone who walks up. 2 stand on private land instead, so check the castle's own page for access arrangements. Ranked on the review-weighted score, the best free ruins are Carnasserie Castle (4.8 stars), Duffus Castle (4.6 stars) and Skipness Castle and Chapel (4.7 stars). Free castles across the UK covers parking and opening hours for every free site on the roll.
Ruins you can't go inside
Between late 2021 and early 2022 Historic Environment Scotland restricted access at 70 of its sites while specialists inspected high-level masonry by hand. It named climate change among the causes of decay. Many sites have reopened since. 10 ruins on this page are still recorded with no entry to the castle itself, whether for conservation work, because the walls stand inside separately ticketed gardens, or because they sit on private land with no official way in. Check the castle's own page and the operator's site before you plan a day around one.
Where the ruins are
The 47 ruins spread across 15 areas of Scotland. Argyll and Bute and Dumfries and Galloway hold the most, with 6 each. Orkney and Shetland hold 6 between them, and 5 of those are free to walk in, so the islands suit a ruin-hunting trip if you've got the ferry time. Every castle in Scotland is mapped on the Scotland page.
All 47 ruined castles in Scotland
Free to walk in - 20
Carnasserie Castle
Argyll and Bute
4.8 stars, 462 reviews
Free; overlooks Kilmartin Glen
Carsluith Castle
Dumfries and Galloway
4.3 stars, 179 reviews
Free 16th-century tower house beside Wigtown Bay
Castle Sween
Argyll and Bute
4.6 stars, 184 reviews
Free; possibly Scotland's oldest standing castle
Castle of Old Wick
Highland
4.4 stars, 564 reviews
Free; Norse-era tower on cliff-edge promontory
Cubbie Roo's Castle
Orkney Islands
4.6 stars, 8 reviews
One of Scotland's earliest stone castles, on the island of Wyre
Duffus Castle
Moray
4.6 stars, 1,227 reviews
Free; fine motte-and-bailey with later stone tower
Dunyvaig Castle
Argyll and Bute
4.5 stars, 56 reviews
Coastal ruin of a 13th-16th century MacDonald of Islay stronghold overlooking Lagavulin Bay.
Earl's Palace, Birsay
Orkney Islands
4.5 stars, 693 reviews
Built 1569-74 by Robert Stewart, 1st Earl of Orkney, illegitimate half-brother of Mary Queen of Scots; roofless since around 1700.
Greenknowe Tower
Scottish Borders
4.5 stars, 94 reviews
Free 16th-century L-plan tower near Gordon
Hailes Castle
East Lothian
4.4 stars, 383 reviews
Free riverside fortified manor, open year-round
Loch Doon Castle
East Ayrshire
4.5 stars, 509 reviews
Free; eleven-sided curtain wall relocated in 1935
Lochmaben Castle
Dumfries and Galloway
4 stars, 223 reviews
Free lochside ruin linked to Robert the Bruce
Morton Castle
Dumfries and Galloway
4.5 stars, 299 reviews
Free remote hall-house above an artificial loch
Muness Castle
Shetland Islands
4.6 stars, 185 reviews
Britain's most northerly castle, on Unst; free
Noltland Castle
Orkney Islands
4.6 stars, 94 reviews
On Westray; free, famed for 71 gun holes
Ravenscraig Castle
Fife
4.3 stars, 775 reviews
Early artillery castle; grounds open, tower interiors restricted
Roxburgh Castle
Scottish Borders
4.3 stars, 38 reviews
Once one of Scotland's most important royal castles; only a large mound and fragmentary wall stumps remain.
Scalloway Castle
Shetland Islands
4.3 stars, 208 reviews
Free; key available locally if locked
Skipness Castle and Chapel
Argyll and Bute
4.7 stars, 372 reviews
Free castle with 16th-century tower house, Kintyre
Strome Castle
Highland
4.4 stars, 334 reviews
Ruin on Loch Carron shore; free, open at all times
Staffed, with an entry charge - 17
Armadale Castle, Gardens & Museum
Highland
4.4 stars, 1,451 reviews
Gardens and Museum of the Isles; open daily from March
Balvenie Castle
Moray
4.4 stars, 434 reviews
Seasonal Apr-Sep; some areas fenced for safety
Bishop's Palace, Kirkwall
Orkney Islands
4.5 stars, 384 reviews
Earliest surviving episcopal palace in Norse Scotland, built c.1100s; King Haakon IV of Norway died here in 1263.
Bothwell Castle
South Lanarkshire
4.3 stars, 886 reviews
One of the finest 13th-century castle ruins in Scotland
Caerlaverock Castle
Dumfries and Galloway
4.6 stars, 3,128 reviews
Triangular moated castle; some conservation access restrictions
Dirleton Castle
East Lothian
4.6 stars, 1,264 reviews
Medieval fortress with famous gardens
Dunnottar Castle
Aberdeenshire
4.8 stars, 13,279 reviews
Ticketed clifftop ruin; open year-round, weather permitting
Dunollie Castle
Argyll and Bute
4.4 stars, 981 reviews
15th-century tower ruin above Oban, ancestral seat of Clan MacDougall.
Edzell Castle and Garden
Angus
4.6 stars, 225 reviews
Renaissance walled garden of 1604
Huntly Castle
Aberdeenshire
4.6 stars, 1,013 reviews
Gordon palace-castle; currently no visitor toilets
Kildrummy Castle
Aberdeenshire
4.6 stars, 275 reviews
13th-century shield-shaped castle; seasonal opening
MacLellan's Castle
Dumfries and Galloway
4.2 stars, 330 reviews
Kirkcudbright townhouse-castle; seasonal opening
Spynie Palace
Moray
4.5 stars, 253 reviews
Bishops' castle; David's Tower, Scotland's largest tower house
St Andrews Castle
Fife
4.5 stars, 4,393 reviews
Siege mine, counter-mine and bottle dungeon
Tantallon Castle
East Lothian
4.7 stars, 2,763 reviews
East tower stair, doocot and vaults currently closed
Tolquhon Castle
Aberdeenshire
4.6 stars, 305 reviews
Ornate 1580s courtyard mansion-castle; seasonal opening
Urquhart Castle
Highland
4.5 stars, 28,186 reviews
On Loch Ness; pre-booking advised in summer
No entry to the castle itself - 10
Auchindoun Castle
Moray
4.7 stars, 301 reviews
Free; exterior viewing only, reached by hillside walk
Cadzow Castle
South Lanarkshire
3.6 stars, 48 reviews
Exterior view only; fenced, within Chatelherault Country Park
Castle Kennedy
Dumfries and Galloway
4.7 stars, 459 reviews
Ticketed seasonal gardens around ruined castle
Craignethan Castle
South Lanarkshire
4.5 stars, 224 reviews
Currently closed for conservation work
Crichton Castle
Midlothian
4.5 stars, 223 reviews
Castle fenced for conservation; grounds remain open
Dalquharran Castle
South Ayrshire
4.6 stars, 282 reviews
Roofless shell on private land above Dailly - reviewers describe getting in through gaps in the perimeter fence at their own risk, not an officially staffed or maintained site.
Glenbuchat Castle
Aberdeenshire
3.9 stars, 55 reviews
Currently closed for conservation; exterior views only
Inverlochy Castle
Highland
4.1 stars, 2,013 reviews
Closed for conservation; viewable through protective fencing
Kilchurn Castle
Argyll and Bute
4.6 stars, 1,974 reviews
Interior closed for conservation; exterior walk on Loch Awe open
Preston Tower
East Lothian
4.5 stars, 122 reviews
15th-century tower house of the Hamiltons of Preston, burned in 1544, 1650 and 1663 and abandoned thereafter.
Where this list comes from
A castle is on this page when the roll records it in Scotland and as a ruin. The free, staffed and no-entry groups come from the access each site is recorded with, and the short note on each card is the roll's own line on that castle. Every count, average and ranking on this page is computed from the roll at build time, so the page changes when the roll does.
Check before you travel
Access at ruins changes more often than at roofed castles. Conservation work can close a site at short notice, and some staffed ruins open only from spring to autumn. Each entry links to the castle's own page here, which carries the operator's link, so check that before a long drive.
Questions people ask
How many ruined castles in Scotland can you visit?
The Castle Rolls lists 47 ruined castles in Scotland, out of the 132 Scottish castles on the roll. 20 are free to walk into, 17 are staffed and charge for entry, and 10 can't be entered on the latest information held. Scotland has many more ruins than this; the list covers sites with a public visitor record, not every fragment of wall in a field.
What is the best ruined castle to visit in Scotland?
On visitor reviews, Dunnottar Castle and Tantallon Castle lead. Dunnottar Castle holds 4.8 stars from 13,279 Google reviews and Tantallon Castle holds 4.7 stars from 2,763 Google reviews. The ranking on this page weights each rating by how many reviews stand behind it and only counts castles with at least 300 reviews.
Which ruined castles in Scotland are free to visit?
20 of the 47 ruins on this page have no entry charge. Ranked on the review-weighted score, the best are Carnasserie Castle (4.8 stars), Duffus Castle (4.6 stars) and Skipness Castle and Chapel (4.7 stars). 2 of the free ones stand on private land rather than in public care, so check the castle's own page for access arrangements before you go.
Why are some ruined castles in Scotland fenced off?
Between late 2021 and early 2022 Historic Environment Scotland restricted access at 70 of its sites while specialists inspected high-level masonry by hand. It named climate change among the causes of decay. Many sites have reopened since. 10 ruins on this page are recorded with no entry to the castle itself, including Inverlochy Castle and Kilchurn Castle. Not all of those are conservation closures: some stand inside separately ticketed gardens or on private land with no official way in.
Is a Historic Scotland Explorer Pass worth it for castle ruins?
It can be, if you're visiting several staffed sites in a fortnight. Historic Environment Scotland runs 38 of the 47 ruins here, and 14 of the 17 ruins with an entry charge. The free ruins are free either way, so count only the staffed ones when you work out whether the pass pays.