Dunnottar Castle - Early Morning

Day 3 was even more windy in the morning than the previous day at Dunnottar Castle. I had gotten up before breakfast which was at 8 a.m. and walked down to Dunnottar from our B&B,  - one of the farms that used to service the castle, giving myself fully 30 minutes of time to experience Dunnottar Castle before enjoying the excellent Scottish breakfast of Elizabeth Duguid.

I was the only person that early morning at Dunnottar Castle though the sounds of the sea gulls kept me company as I drew closer and closer to that emblem of the power of the Earl Marischal. The wind blew so strongly that I hesitated approaching any of the walks which led to the edge of the surrounding cliffs. Once, in a sudden lull from the wind, I approached too closely to the cliffside and in a sudden burst of energy, the wind blew me off balance and I nearly went over the side of  the precipice.

Photo 1: Dunnottar Castle as you approach it from the pathway from the parking lot. It looks deceptively unimposing.

Photo 2: The view from near the end of the pathway, but before the long stairway down to the sea from which Dunnottar is approached.

Photo 3: Another view from the same location showing the watery divide which separates Dunnottar on the right. 

Photo 4: Dunnottar as it appears while walking down the long concrete stairway leading to yet another path to the castle's entrance.

Photo 5: A view before the stairway showing the the grasses which line the promontories in front of Dunnottar.

Photo 6: A zoom to the tower house from the bottom looking up.

Photo 7: The trail winding towards the entrance to Castle Dunnottar...the rock appears a bit like a defensive curtain wall.

I've added here some post cards to give a perspective of how Dunnottar is situated to Stonehaven and to the sea and to itself.

Photo 8: A view of the coast line with Stonehaven in the forefront. Dunnottar Castle is situated on the third finger over as you go from bottom to top.

Photo 9: Dunnottar Castle as seen from the Stonehaven War Memorial.

Photo 10: An aerial view of Dunnottar Castle...the entrance is on the lower left of the picture.

Photo 11: Another aerial view from behind showing Dunnottar's position in relation to the mainland.

Dunnottar Castle Information

Alternative Names: Dunfoithir;        'Le Castiel De Dunostre' 

Dunnottar Castle occupies a coastal promontory of about 1.4 ha protected on all sides by precipitous cliffs and approachable only from the W. The promontory is probably the site of a fort beseiged in 681 and 694 and destroyed by the Vikings between 889 and 900. Although there was possibly a castle here in the 12th century, the visible remains are all likely to be of later date and include an L-plan tower house, erected at the end of the 14th century, extensive domestic buildings, and a chapel and burial ground. 

This castle probably occupies the site of a prehistoric fort; St Ninian established a church here about the beginning of the 5th century and it may also be the 'Dunfoithir' that was besieged in 681. An oval motte was noted on the site in 1970. In the reign of William the Lion (1165-1214) 'Dunnottar' was the place where warrants were returnable for the Mearns, and 'le castiel de Dunostre' is mentioned at the beginning of the 13th century. The parish church was on the site by the 13th century. Another castle (castle tower) was built at the end of the 14th century, being mentioned in a Papal Bull of 13 July 1394. Charles II lodged here in 1650 and the Scottish Crown Jewels (The Honours of Scotland) were hidden here in 1651 as it was considered one of the strongest places in the kingdom. In 1685, 167 Covenanters were packed into a small vault ('the Whig's vault') where 9 died due to the terrible conditions. In its final form, the castle was forfeited in 1716 and the roofs and floors removed and sold. In 1925 the systematic repair and excavation of the ruins was begun; the monument is now open to the public.

In its present form the extensive remains date from various periods. The oldest portion is the early 15th century keep with a range of buildings extending to the E containing stables and storehouses. The gatehouse is approached by a steep path and defended by three tiers of splayed gun-loops. The arched entrance is the only opening in a solid wall of masonry set into a cleft in the rock; a very impressive and dominating entrance. The buildings to the NW include a chapel, are grouped around a courtyard and date from the late 16th or early 17th centuries; a huge water tank lies within the courtyard and there is also a bowling green to the W of this later range.