Dunbar Castle

Dunbar Castle stands on a rocky headland above the town’s harbour in East Lothian. The fortress was one of Scotland’s strongest, built and rebuilt over centuries near the border with England. Its last great structure was levelled in 1567, leaving only ruins that still dominate the skyline. The castle’s strength came from clever design. A detached citadel on a 22-metre-high rock could only be reached by a 21-metre masonry bridge. Inside the octagonal keep five arrow-slit gun-ports remain, narrowing from 1.2 metres to 41 centimetres. A gateway in the middle wall carries the arms of George, 10th Earl of Dunbar, who added the crest of a bridled horse’s head. Below, a dark cavern once held prisoners like Gavin Douglas, Bishop of Dunkeld. Visitors walk among fallen red-stone walls that still show signs of ancient fires. The north-west corner has a small square room said to have been Mary, Queen of Scots’ prison. From the ruins the harbour and North Sea stretch out, and the sound of waves fills the old dungeon hollows. The castle’s story is written in every stone and every narrow passage.