Scottish castles generally provided a home for its inhabitants, along with a structure to provide protection against attack. Tower houses were often the basis of Scottish castles. Tower houses were tall towers that stood high above the ground to protect its residents from attacks and pillaging from down below. Often times, Scottish castles expanded out from the main Tower houses in times of peace. Scottish castles sprung up as an attempt at defensive against feuds with England and other neighboring countries.The Airth Castle is one of the oldest castles offering Scottish castle accommodation. This 14th century castle has been restored and now combines a spa with Scottish castle accommodation. This incredible castle was once the home of the Robert the Bruce and his family and today combines history with modern luxury. This is also the largest venue in Scotland for Scottish castle weddings.
Resting on a hill that has hosted a castle since 1000 A.D., Edinburgh Castle is one of Scotland's oldest castles. This castle is representative of the Scotland of old that existed when Scotland was an independent nation. In 1573 the castle staged its last defense against the Brits in the name of Mary Queen of Scots.
Stirling Castle is one of the first castles in Scotland to pop up during the renaissance, and is a beautiful structure set on a rocky hill. Well worth touring for its beauty, Stirling Castle was also one of the last strongholds of the old Scottish nation before it was conquered. Stirling Castle was attacked on 16 different occasions as warring nations fought to lay claim to its valuable defense location, finally falling to the Brits in the 16th century.
Another popular place for Scottish castle weddings, the Auchen Castle Hotel is a smaller castle set on beautifully maintained grounds. The original castle structure was a Tower house built in 1220. It was rebuilt as a larger structure in the 1300's by the sons of Sir Roger Kirkpatrick, who are thought to have helped in the murder of the castles ruler at the time.
No matter what your travel plans to Scotland include, a stop at one of the famous Scottish castles is well worth the time. Tours of castles throughout Scotland are also available for anyone interested in seeing multiple castles.
some other castles are better than this one!
ReplyDeleteYou have done it once again! Superb article.
ReplyDeleteGreat article. We were there during a huge snowstorm so we didn't get a chance to see as much as we would have liked. We must go back.
ReplyDelete