Scotland's Castles

The Bothwell Castle is at Strathclyde. This castle was built in the 13^th century. Red sandstone was used to build the thick walls that were 60 feet tall. Bothwell is one of the largest stone castles.

The castle has a huge round keep. A parapet and ditch separate the castle from the courtyard. The English occupied the Bothwell Castle and the Scots lead by William Wallace took 14 months to finally defeat the English. William Wallace used huge medieval siege engines and 6800 soldiers to take Bothwell Castle back from the English. The Bothwell Castle was abandoned and later it was restored.

The Caerlaverock Castle of Dumbriesshire is a different and triangular castle. This castle is one of Scotland's best castle that goes back to the 13^th century. This castle was added to until the 17^th century.

This castle posses a huge double drum tower that can be seen from the gatehouse that sits above the gatehouse. Sometime during the Renaissance a fabulous facade was added to Caerlaverock Castle. The Caerlaverock Castles outer moat is dry and the inner moat is full of water.

The Crathes Castle of Aberdeenshire was built in the 1500s. It has turrets on a huge medieval tower. The castles interior is in very good shape. There are oak ceilings, heraldic shields and a large Elizabethan fireplace and many more impressive items.

There is a beautiful walled 19^th century garden. In side the castles walls are a total of 8 gardens. All year long people will come to see them.

The Old Horse mill has been converted to a restaurant. When the castle was renovated in 1877 they found an original Jacobean painted ceilings.

The Edinburgh Castle is in Midlothian. The Edinburgh Castle was built on a huge rocky foundation. Scotland's Kings and Queens made their home at Edinburgh Castle. All of them made changes to the castle.

Edinburgh Castle is a fortress, palace, barracks, chapel and war memorial. The Stone of Destiny is where the Scottish kings are inaugurated. The Scottish crown jewels are kept at Edinburgh Castle. The Scepter, Sword of State and the Crown are kept in the Crown Room.

The Great Hall has a collection of medieval weapons and armor. A cannon is fired at the castle at 1pm daily. You can enjoy beautiful views of the city from the castle. Edinburgh Castle is very popular with visitors to Scotland.

The Eilean Donan Castle is Rose and Cromarty. This castle had a rich history. King Alexander II had the Eilean Donan Castle built as a defense against the Vikings in the 13^th century.

Eilean Donan Castle has a strong keep and no one could penetrate it in the early years. In 1719 warships bombarded the castle and left it in ruins. In the 1900s they started restoring the castle. Eilean Donan Castle is the seat of the Mac Rae Clan. The Eilean Donan Castle was used in the first “Highlander” movie.

The Palace of Holyroodhouse is in Midlothian. The Palace of Holyroodhouse is where the reigning Scottish monarch lives. The monarchs of Scotland have lived here since the Middle Ages. In 1128 the Palace of Holyroodhouse was a Augustinian monastery.

The Palace of Holyroodhouse goes back to the 1500s. Mary, Queen of Scots live here from 161 to 1567. This palace is were the Scottish royalty have lived.

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Sources and credits: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scottish-castle www.medievalcastles.com Picture courtesy of: Pixabay.