Dunnottar Castle: The Cliff Fortress Where Scotland Hid Its Crown Jewels

Dunnottar Castle spread across its sea-cliff rock at golden hour, Aberdeenshire. — Dunnottar Castle — a whole fortress marooned on a sea-cliff rock, and one of the most dramatic sights in Scotland.

🏰 Privately run · paid entry (£10.50+ adult, more for a family) · not cheap

Overview — the honest take

Dunnottar Castle is, quite simply, one of the great sights of Scotland: a sprawling ruined fortress perched on a flat-topped sea-cliff rock, cut off from the mainland by a deep, narrow chasm, with the North Sea booming on three sides. It looks impossible — and it carries a history to match, from an early Christian saint to William Wallace, from Mary, Queen of Scots to the hiding of the Honours of Scotland — the nation’s crown jewels — from Oliver Cromwell’s army. We came on a bright, bitter February afternoon and it was every bit as spectacular as its reputation.

We’ll be straight with you on two things, because they matter: it’s privately run and the entry isn’t cheap (over a tenner a head, more for a family), and getting to the rock means a steep walk down and a proper climb of steps back up. Neither is a reason to miss it — but go knowing.

Dunnottar Castle glowing gold above the North Sea near Stonehaven. — Golden hour on the rock — there are few finer sights in Scotland.

Where it is

The castle stands on the Aberdeenshire coast about two miles south of Stonehaven, roughly 15 miles south of Aberdeen. There’s a car park at the top; from there it’s a short walk to the cliff edge and then down. Far better, if you have the time, is to walk out along the coast from Stonehaven (more on that below).

Dunnottar Castle on its headland seen from the coast path. — Seen from the coast path, cut off by the sea on three sides.

The full sweep of Dunnottar Castle across its clifftop headland. — The castle spreads right across the flat top of the sea-stack.

The history — more than a castle

People have held this rock for well over a thousand years. The earliest record is from the 5th century, when the Celtic saint St Ninian is said to have founded a church here — one of the earliest Christian sites in Pictland. In 1297, during the Wars of Independence, William Wallace stormed the English garrison holding Dunnottar and took it back for Scotland.

From the 14th century the rock belonged to the Keith family, the Earls Marischal of Scotland, who built the tower keep and turned it into the great fortress-residence you see today. James IV visited in 1504; Mary, Queen of Scots came in 1562 after the Battle of Corrichie.

The tower keep at the heart of Dunnottar Castle. — The 14th-century tower keep, the oldest surviving building.

The keep and curtain walls of Dunnottar Castle in low winter light. — Curtain walls and buildings crowd the clifftop.

The Honours of Scotland

Dunnottar’s most famous hour came in 1651–52. With Cromwell’s forces overrunning Scotland, the Honours of Scotland — the crown, sword and sceptre, the oldest crown jewels in Britain — were brought here for safety. When the castle was besieged and forced to surrender, the Honours had already been smuggled out under the invaders’ noses and hidden (the story goes) beneath the floor of a nearby church at Kinneff, where they stayed safe until the Restoration. It’s one of the great survival stories of Scottish history — and the reason there is still a Scottish crown to see today.

The Whigs’ Vault

The rock has a darker tale too. In 1685, 167 Covenanters — Presbyterian dissenters, nicknamed “Whigs” — were marched here and crammed for weeks into a single damp cellar now called the Whigs’ Vault. Several died of the conditions, others perished trying to escape down the cliffs, and the survivors were shipped off to the colonies. Standing in that low, dark room is a sobering counterpoint to the beauty outside.

The castle’s long story wound down after the last Earl Marischal forfeited his titles and lands for joining the 1715 Jacobite rising, and it slid gently into the magnificent ruin it is now.

Dunnottar Castle with snow-dusted hills far inland. — Snow on the hills far inland on a crisp February day.

Visiting — and those steps

Dunnottar is privately owned and run, with paid entry (over £10 an adult when we visited, and dearer for a family — check current prices before you go). Once you’re through the top gate the path drops steeply down to the neck of the rock and then climbs a long flight of steps back up to the castle gate — not one for anyone unsteady on their feet, and a fair puff on the way out. Inside, you can explore the keep, the chapel, the great hall range, the bowling green, and the grim little Whigs’ Vault.

The path and steps leading up to the gate of Dunnottar Castle. — The only way in — down, across, and steeply back up to the gate.

Looking down the long flight of steps to Dunnottar Castle. — The long flight down to the rock — worth every step.

The steep steps and walkway down to Dunnottar Castle. — Those steps: wonderful going down, less so coming back.

The walk from Stonehaven & the War Memorial

If you can, leave the car in Stonehaven and walk out. The coastal path from the harbour runs up onto the cliffs and south along the coast to the castle in around 40 minutes to an hour, with the drama building the whole way. It’s one of the best short coast walks in the north-east.

The clifftop coastal path between Stonehaven and Dunnottar. — The clifftop path linking Stonehaven and the castle.

Halfway along, on the top of Black Hill, stands the Stonehaven War Memorial — a striking roofless colonnade, like a ruined temple against the sky. It was left deliberately open to the elements, a symbol of lives cut short and homes left unfinished. Catch it at sunrise or sunset, as we did, and it’s unforgettable.

The Stonehaven War Memorial silhouetted against a low sun on the coast walk. — The Stonehaven War Memorial, deliberately left roofless as a symbol of lives cut short.

The roofless colonnade of the Stonehaven War Memorial above the sea. — The memorial colonnade on Black Hill, on the walk between town and castle.

The view over fields and the Aberdeenshire coast from the memorial hill. — The Aberdeenshire coast rolling away from the memorial hill.

The coast

The whole of this stretch is big, dramatic sea-cliff country — stacks, coves, wheeling seabirds and, if you’re lucky with the fast-changing weather, a rainbow straight out over the North Sea.

A rainbow over the North Sea from the cliffs near Dunnottar. — A rainbow out over the North Sea — the weather here changes by the minute.

The dramatic sea cliffs of the Aberdeenshire coast near Dunnottar. — Big, dramatic cliffs run the whole way along this coast.

A rocky cove below the cliffs on the Dunnottar coast. — A hidden cove below the cliffs.

Overnight

We slept in the castle car park with no issues at all — quiet, handy for a first-light look at the rock, and a stone’s throw from the coast walk. As always, check current signage and be considerate; it’s a busy visitor car park by day.

Lillie the dog snug in a blanket after a cold coastal walk. — Lillie, thoroughly done with the cold, back in the van.

Nearby — Stonehaven & the coast

Stonehaven itself is well worth time: a handsome old harbour, a famous 1930s open-air Art Deco sea pool (heated, and open in summer), good pubs and chip shops, and the wooded walks of Dunnottar Woods behind the town. At Hogmanay it’s known across the world for its fireballs ceremony, when locals swing blazing wire cages through the streets.

Browse the rest of the ruins we’ve visited in our Castles of Scotland collection.
For the wider Wallace and Mary, Queen of Scots story, see Stirling (Bannockburn & the Wallace Monument) and Loch Leven Castle.

Sources

Dunnottar Castle — official history & Wikipedia.
The Honours of Scotland & the Whigs’ Vault — Dunnottar Castle history pages and Historic Environment Scotland.
Everything first-hand is from our own February 2024 visit.