Dunnottar Castle (Dùn Fhoithear, “fort on the shelving slope” in Scottish Gaelic) is a ruined medieval fortress on the northeastern coast of Scotland. Although the site is believed to have been fortified in the Early Middle Ages, the surviving buildings are largely of the 15th and 16th centuries.
The earliest written reference to the site is found in the Annals of Ulster which record two sieges of “Dún Foither” in 681 and 694. The Scottish Chronicle records that King Donald II of Scotland was killed at Dunnottar during an attack by Vikings in 900. During the reign of King William the Lion (1165–1214) Dunnottar was a center of local administration for The Mearns county. The poet Blind Harry relates that William Wallace captured Dunnottar from the English in 1297.
Dunnottar is also known as the place where the Scottish crown jewels were hidden from Oliver Cromwell’s invading army in the 17th century. The cliff top fortress was the home of the Earls Marischal, once one of the most powerful families in Scotland.
Visit Dunnottar Castle
Facilities
Hours
Summer Season (1st April – 30th Sep)
9:00 – 17:30 every day.
Winter Season 2019/20 (1st October – 31st March)
1st Oct – 26th Oct: 10:00 – 16:30
27th Oct – 9th Nov: 10:00 – 15:00
10th Nov – 18th Jan: 10:00 – 14:30
19th Jan – 1st Feb: 10:00 – 15:00
2nd Feb – 15th Feb: 10:00 – 15:30
16th Feb – 1st Mar: 10:00 – 16:00
2nd Mar – 31st Mar: 10:00 – 16:30
Address
Dunnottar Castle, Stonehaven, AB39 2TL
Phone
+44 (0) 1569 766320
Prices
| Ticket type | Price | |
| Adult ticket | £7 | |
| Child Ticket | £3 | |
| Family ticket (2 adults & 2 children between 5 and 15 years) | £17 |
Location
Dunnottar Castle Gifts
Similar Castles

Framlingham Castle
Framlingham Castle has no central keep but a curtain wall with 13 towers.

Newark Castle
Newark Castle is a 12th century castle by Alexander, Bishop of Lincoln.

Corfe Castle
Corfe Castle is a ruined castle on the route between Wareham and Swanage.

Lindisfarne Castle
Lindisfarne Castle is a 16th-century castle located on Holy Island.
More to see in Scotland

Spynie Castle
Spynie Castle was founded in the late 12th Century by the Bishops of Moray.

Linlithgow Palace
Linlithgow Palace was the residence of the monarchs of Scotland in the 15th-16th centuries.

Tantallon Castle
Tantallon Castle is a ruined mid-14th-century fortress atop a promontory in Scotland.

Stirling Castle
Stirling Castle is one of the largest and most important castles in Scotland.