Dirleton Castle

Scottish Heritage ruined stronghold with neatly trimmed gardens!
The ruins of Dirleton Castle are surrounded by a wall and enclose a lovely garden where you can enjoy a nice walk (when the wind is not blowing as much and the snow storms actually let you walk around peacefully).
In its hey days the castle might have been a mighty stronghold with thick walls, mounted high on a rock and with wonderful views over the surrounding valley. Nowadays you can watch the «wind fans» and small country roads with cars passing by. Somehow the castle’s spirit has been removed and all that remains are pieces of history nicely laid out for the occasional visitor.
Still, I was amazed by all the passages and «rooms» which survived the degradation of time. Find your imagination and you can feel how the de Vaux family lived in the 13^th century. Later on the castle fell into the hands of the Haliburtons and Ruthvens. After the civil wars the castle was neglected and fell into ruin.
Tip: Go and see the beehive-​shaped doocot where they kept masses of pigeons. It looks amazing.

Dirleton Castle is my absolute favourite castle of those I’ve visited in Scotland.
When I visited it was a gorgeous day which perfectly highlighted the lovely grounds, and here were hardly any other people there, which was an absolute blessing. Dirleton, like many other castles around Edinburgh, is very under-​appreciated. Everyone seems to go to THE castle, or Stirling as a second choice, which leaves castles like Dirleton blissfully quiet, and means that you have free rein to roam wherever you like. Literally. We were actually able to clamber all over the ruins which, while I’m sure was absolutely not allowed, was extremely cool.
The views are gorgeous and there is plenty to explore. This would be fantastic for a family day out, but is an equally fun to visit for adults who like a bit of history which is uninterrupted by crowds, and also enjoy a proper bit of ruin and not the overly made up attraction which more major castles have become.

It was a women at the desk when we went who was amazed at the amount of castles we were getting around in a weekend. We didnt think that this castle would be as good as is was as from the outside it doesnt look big and when you see the lovely gardens you think it would just be a small ruin but there is so much to see. The dovecote is a great examples and inside there are a maze of small rooms off each other
There is a dome outside which we didnt have a clue what it is for but when you go to one of the lower levels there is a beautiful room with a fireplace and a domed ceiling which echoes
You can have a look at the scary pit prison and wander around the towers
It has a small shop it is historic scotland so if free for member and members of english heritage

Dirleton Castle is absolutly brilliant. You can almost picture yourself with long flowing skirts and headress with your knight in shining armour battling for your honour.
It has a proper Ye Olde Worldy feel about it and the grounds are kept to perfection.
The old guy at the desk is great as well he is so happy and helpful.

We’ve passed this place many times on our way to other places. Last month we decided to stop and it was well worth the visit. There are beautiful gardens, a well stocked, but small gift shop, with a very cheery member of staff, and the castle itself was very interesting, built in 3 stages, as a fortification and private residence. There were plenty of information plaques as you went round, and the sun shining made it a perfect place to meander for an hour or two.