It has been estimated that there were once 3000 castles around Scotland! Today many are left in ruins however some have been under careful preservation and are open to the public. Prior to our road trip we made sure we visited some of the Scotland’s more famous castles including Stirling and Edinburgh, spending the day at each. We spent 4 days driving around Scotland through the mountains and along the seaside stopping at as many castles and ruins that time would allow. We went to St. Andrew’s Castle, St. Andrews Cathedral Ruins, Eilean Donan Castle, Elgin Cathedral Ruins, Urquhart Castle and Stalker Castle.

Stalker Castle was our first stop after spending the lunch hour in Oban, a town built around a distillery in 1794. Oban is a beautiful town right on the water and is knows as the gateway to the Isles, a recommended place to visit from my grandparents. The castle is located 25 miles from the town and is most well known for the murders that had taken place there. I don’t know why anyone wanted to own it to be honest. Most of the time it was the owner who was the one being murdered ever since it was built in the 1440s. It stands out as it sits on a rocky islet know as the Rock of the Cormorants. The Gaelic name for the castle sounds less creepy, Stalcaire meaning falconer or hunter.

On our way to Isle of Skye, we stopped at Eilean Donan Castle, Scotlands most photographed and romantic castle set as the featured image above. It is located where three loch’s meet; Loch Long, Loch Duich and Loch Alsh. There’s simply one word to describe the scenery of Scotland, the backdrop to these castles, and that is majestic. After staying overnight in Isle of Skye we drove to Urquhart Castle in search of the Loch Ness Monster. The castle was built in 1230 and destroyed in 1692. Today only ruins remain and you can still climb the five-storey tower.

Finally we made our way across to Elgin and St. Andrews where we saw the most amazing cathedral ruins. St. Andrews Cathedral is medieval Scotland’s largest church built in the 12th century. It’s amazing how in it’s ruined state it still stands as a prominent landmark of St. Andrews. The castle here was the official residence of Scotland’s leading bishop.