Best Castle in Angus, Scotland - Map and Reviews

Ethie Castle is a privately owned Scottish tower house and country house complex situated in the rolling agricultural countryside of Angus, a few miles north of Arbroath. It is one of the more intriguing historic houses of the region, combining genuine medieval origins with later Renaissance and Jacobean additions, and is notable both for its architectural character and for its rich associative history. The castle is not a ruin but a lived-in and, at times, lettable property, which gives it a warmth and inhabited quality that many more celebrated Scottish castles lack. It sits in quiet seclusion amid mature trees and farmland, making it feel genuinely hidden from the modern world despite being relatively accessible from the main road network of Angus. The origins of Ethie Castle stretch back to the fourteenth century, when the site is believed to have been associated with the Abbots of Arbroath. The powerful Arbroath Abbey, whose Declaration of Arbroath in 1320 was one of the most important documents of medieval Scotland, held significant lands in this part of Angus, and Ethie served as a retreat or residence connected to that ecclesiastical establishment. The castle later passed through a succession of notable Scottish families, and it is most famously associated with David Beaton, Cardinal Archbishop of St Andrews, who is said to have used it as one of his residences in the sixteenth century. Beaton was perhaps the most powerful churchman in pre-Reformation Scotland, a skilled and ruthless political operator who served as a papal legate and a key figure in the suppression of early Scottish Protestantism. His assassination in 1546 at St Andrews Castle is one of the defining moments of the Scottish Reformation, and his connection to Ethie gives the property a charged historical atmosphere. The castle was later acquired by the Carnegie family, who held it for several generations and carried out significant building work, transforming what had been a relatively austere tower house into a more comfortable lairdly residence. The various phases of construction are legible in the building's exterior, which combines harled stonework, crow-stepped gables, and a round tower characteristic of Scottish Baronial style with later, more refined domestic additions. Inside, the castle reportedly retains original features including stone fireplaces and, most famously, a decorative plaster ceiling of considerable quality and age. The grounds contain old walled garden structures and mature specimen trees that add to the sense of layered history. Visiting Ethie Castle in person, one is struck above all by its stillness and the depth of quiet that surrounds it. The Angus countryside here is gently undulating, given over largely to arable farming, with wide skies that in autumn carry the particular pewter-grey light of east Scotland. The castle itself appears somewhat suddenly from the approach lane, framed by trees, and its harled white walls contrast with the grey of the stone dressings and the dark of the surrounding woodland. It has a compact and secretive character rather than the grand theatrical profile of a showpiece castle. The sounds are those of rooks, wind in old trees, and distant farm machinery — a landscape that feels genuinely agricultural and unselfconscious about its own beauty. The surrounding area is rich in interest for visitors exploring more broadly. Arbroath, a few miles to the south, offers the magnificent ruins of Arbroath Abbey itself, directly connected historically to Ethie through the medieval period. The Angus coastline nearby features red sandstone cliffs and small fishing harbours. Inland, the Vale of Strathmore and the Sidlaw Hills provide gentle walking country, and the market town of Forfar is within easy reach. The wider region contains a remarkable concentration of Pictish carved stones, with Meigle and Aberlemno hosting some of the finest examples in Scotland. Because Ethie Castle is a private residence, public access is limited and visitors should not simply arrive unannounced. The castle has been offered as a self-catering holiday let on a number of occasions, which is the most immersive way to experience it, and this should be investigated through relevant holiday rental services if that is of interest. The nearest substantial town is Arbroath, which is served by rail on the main east coast line between Dundee and Aberdeen, making it reachable without a car. From Arbroath, however, reaching the castle itself requires either a car or taxi, as the lanes of rural Angus are not served by meaningful public transport. The best times to visit the surrounding area are late spring through early autumn, when the farmland is at its most dramatic and the coastal paths are walkable in comfort, though the moody east coast winters have their own stark appeal. One of the more charming and unusual stories attached to Ethie Castle involves a ghost said to be that of Cardinal Beaton himself, or alternatively a child associated with the castle's past. Local tradition holds that strange sounds have been heard in the older parts of the building, and the castle has featured in regional folklore collections as a site of supernatural reputation. Whether or not one gives any credence to such tales, they speak to the depth of imaginative life that this quiet corner of Angus has accumulated over six hundred years of continuous human habitation and memory.

Edzell Castle is a ruined 16th-century tower house and Renaissance walled garden located in the Angus glens of northeastern Scotland, managed by Historic Environment Scotland. It stands as one of the most striking and evocative castle ruins in the country, combining the skeletal grandeur of a late medieval fortified residence with an extraordinarily well-preserved formal garden that has no close parallel elsewhere in Scotland. The castle draws visitors not merely for its picturesque decay but for the intellectual ambition its creators poured into stone and sculpted detail, making it genuinely unusual among Scottish heritage sites. The history of Edzell Castle is inseparable from the Lindsay family, specifically the Lords of Edzell, who acquired the lands in the 15th century. The main tower house was built around 1520, though the complex was substantially developed throughout the 16th century. The most celebrated addition was the Pleasance, the walled garden constructed by Sir David Lindsay in 1604. Lindsay was a cultivated Renaissance nobleman with connections to continental Europe, and he designed the garden with a philosophical and heraldic programme encoded into the ornamental panels decorating the garden walls. These panels, carved in low relief, depict the Planetary Deities, the Liberal Arts, and the Cardinal Virtues — a humanist curriculum rendered in stone that reflects the influence of German Renaissance art, possibly derived from engravings by Georg Pencz and others. The date 1604 and Lindsay's initials are carved above the garden doorway. The castle later fell into decline following financial difficulties in the Lindsay family and was abandoned in the 18th century. Walking through the site today produces a distinctive mixture of ruin and cultivation. The tower house stands roofless but walls-intact to a considerable height, its masonry weathered to a warm pink-grey, with window embrasures open to the sky and grasses colonising the interior floors. Jackdaws nest in the upper stonework and their calls echo around the enclosed spaces. The Pleasance beyond is an altogether different sensation — neatly maintained, with box hedging forming the Lindsay arms, rose beds and coloured gravel patterns giving it an air of gentle formality. The garden walls with their sculpted niches and checkered decorative courses are remarkable up close, with a detail and clarity that survives despite four centuries of Scottish weather. The whole site has a quality of absorbed stillness, somewhere between a meditation garden and an outdoor gallery. The surrounding landscape is quintessential Angus countryside on the edge of the Highlands. The village of Edzell lies within a short walk, a planned estate village with a long straight main street that reflects the orderly thinking of its 19th-century landlords. To the west the land rises quickly into the Grampian foothills, with Glen Esk beginning nearby and offering excellent walking. The North Esk river runs close by and the wider Angus glens — Glen Clova, Glen Prosen — are within easy driving distance, making Edzell a useful base for exploring an undervisited but scenically beautiful part of Scotland. Brechin, a small cathedral city, lies a few miles south. Edzell is straightforward to visit and well signposted from the village. There is a car park immediately adjacent to the castle. Historic Environment Scotland charges an admission fee, which covers both the castle ruin and the walled garden. The site is open seasonally, generally from April through October, with reduced access in winter months, so checking ahead is advisable. The ground is relatively even and the garden is accessible, though parts of the tower house interior require care. The best time to visit is in late spring or early summer when the garden planting is at its most vivid and the longer Scottish daylight gives the stonework a particularly warm quality in afternoon light. The site is never overwhelmingly crowded and retains an atmosphere of genuine discovery. One of the more fascinating hidden details of Edzell is the bathhouse, a small separate building within the garden complex that once provided hot baths — a rare luxury feature in early 17th-century Scotland and a further testament to Sir David Lindsay's ambitions for refined living. The garden's philosophical programme also included niches in the walls designed to hold flowers or pot plants, bringing the symbolic imagery of the Liberal Arts into direct relationship with living nature. Lindsay himself died in 1610, only six years after completing his great garden, never living to enjoy it in its fullness for long. That combination of humanist ambition, brevity of enjoyment, and subsequent decay gives the site an unexpectedly poignant character that lingers after a visit.

Glamis Castle is situated beside the village of Glamis in Angus, Scotland. It is the home of the Earl and Countess of Strathmore and Kinghorne, and is open to the public. The plasterwork ceilings of Glamis are noteworthy for their detail and preservation. Along with those of Muchalls Castle and Craigievar Castle, they are considered the finest in Scotland. The estate surrounding the castle covers more than 14,000 acres. The two streams run through the estate, one of them the Glamis Burn. An arboretum overlooking Glamis Burn features trees from all over the world. There is a tea room in the castle, and part of the gardens and grounds are open to the public. The venue can be hired for functions like dinners and weddings. The castle was built in the 15th Century as an L-plan castle. The main tower was added in about 1435, and the castle was enclosed within a fortified court. The West Wing was added in the 17th century as well as a small north-east wing containing the chapel. The courtyard buildings and much of the fortifications were replaced by a baroque setting of courts, sculptures and vistas. In the mid-18th century the grounds in front of the Castle were landscaped with radiating avenues of trees. New kitchens, a Billiard Room and new service courtyards beyond the East Wing were all added in 1773. Two years later, the West Wing was demolished and remodelling of the grounds into open parklands in the style of Capability Brown began. This was achieved by pulling down the garden walls in front of the Castle and moving the De'il Gates to the boundary where they stand today. The pitched roof of the East Wing was replaced with castellations in 1797 and the reconstruction of the West Wing in a matching style was effected in about 1800. The main avenue was replanted about 1820. In 1893, the 13th Earl laid out the Dutch Garden in front of the Castle. The Italian Garden was added in 1910. Glamis Castle was the childhood home of Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, best known as the Queen Mother. Her daughter, Princess Margaret, was born there. The Arts Macbeth is known as "Thane of Glamis" in William Shakespeare's play Macbeth. Glamis Castle is also featured in the Kelley Armstrong fantasy novel Haunted. Legends There is an abundance of legends associated with Glamis. The most famous is the "Monster of Glamis" abvout a hideously deformed child born to the family. In the story, the monster was kept in the castle all his life and his suite of rooms bricked up after his death. An alternate version of the legend is that to every generation of the family a vampire child is born and is walled up in that room. There is an old story that guests staying at Glamis once hung towels from the windows of every room in a bid to find the bricked-up suite of the monster. When they looked at it from outside, several windows were apparently towel-less. The legend of the monster may have been inspired by the true story of the Ogilvies. Somewhere in the sixteen-foot thick walls is the famous room of skulls, where the Ogilvie family, who sought protection from their enemies the Lindsays, were walled up to die of starvation.

Invermark Castle is situated in mountainous country at the end of Glen Mark east of Loch Lee about 16 miles from Laurencekirk. The castle was built around 1526 by the Lindsay family extending an existing 14th century tower. The existing castle is a tower house that gives the appearance of being disproportionately tall. The only entrance to the castle is at first floor level, where the main hall would have been. From there a spiral staircase led down to the kitchen and storage areas on the ground floor. The private apartments would have been located on upper floors. In 1605 gun loops were added at ground floor level. There is no public access to the castle interior, but the outside is impressive and worth a visit. The castle was used as refuge by David Lindsay in 1607, after he had killed Lord Spynie in Edinburgh after a long-standing quarrel. The castle continued in use as a family residence until at least 1729. By the start of the nineteenth century, the castle was in ruins and material from the site were removed to build the nearby Lochlee Parish Church and the associated manse.

Kinnaird Castle, Brechin is the home to the Carnegie family (Earl and Countess of Southesk). The castle was built in the 15th century and has been in the family for over 600 years and is now and is now Victorian baronial style. The castle has conical turrets, steep roofs, and armorial decorations. Most of the second floor of the castle has been transformed into two luxury holiday apartments. Kinnaird Castle is set amongst 1300 acres of walled parkland where herds of Highland cattle and fallow-deer roam. There are also formal gardens, a lake, and riverside walks alongside salmon-fishing pools. The castle was burnt down in 1452 after the battle of Brechin. The Carnegies were on the winning side supporting the King. However, after the royalist forces withdrew, the Earl of Crawford took revenge on those who had fought against him and destroyed the castle. In 1617, King James VI stayed at Kinnaird on a visit to Scotland. Kinnaird Castle was also visited by Charles I and Charles II. The Castle's most famous resident was James, Marquis of Montrose who spent 3 years there from 1629. He led the Royal army in the Civil War in the 1640's, winning numerous battles. Eventually he was betrayed and captured and taken to Edinburgh where he was hung, drawn and quartered.In the winter of 1715 the Old Pretender spent some time at the castle. As punishment for supporting the 1715 Jacobite Rebellion, the Carnegie family had their estate confiscated. The estate was bought back by the closest living descendant in 1764 and the Castle transformed by the architect, James Playfair in 1791 into a large handsome house. The family titles were regained in 1855 and the 9th Earl had the house remodeled in Victorian baronial style. In 1921, the castle was largely burnt to the ground, and rebuilt again.