Find Scotland Tours that feature Dirleton Castle.
| Address: | Dirleton, near North Berwick, EH39 5ER Tel: 01620 850330 |
| Operated by: | Historic Scotland |
| Opening Hours: | 1 April - 30 September:, Monday to Sunday, 9.30 am to 5.30 pm 1 October - 31 March: Monday to Sunday 9.30 am to 4.30 pm |
| Admission: | Adult £ 4.50, Child £ 2.25, Senior £ 3.50 |
| Parking: | Yes |
| Languages: | English guidebooks and information boards |
| Accessibility: | Wheelchair access is limited to the gardens surrounding the castle |
| Toilets: | Yes, public toilets in the car park outside the grounds. No Disabled toilet. |
| Shop: | Yes, there is a small shop at castle with a limited range of gifts & books |
| Cafe/Restaurant: | No, but there are two cafes in the village. We don't rate the Castle Inn very highly and prefer the cafe at the Gallery. |
Dirleton Castle is one of the most interesting castles to explore as it is a maze of rooms connected by small dark corridors. Among the castle's best features are some quite civilised rooms for the owners, vast fireplaces in the kitchen, a small chapel and a prison that you access via a very narrow staircase.
Dirleton Castle appears to have been quite refined accommodation with a surprising number of toilet closets and large kitchens for entertaining guests.
A curious feature of Dirleton Castle is the location of the chapel directly above the prison which has an upper and lower floor. Depending on your social status, you would be held captive in the relatively comfortable top prison or dropped down a hole into the pit prison below. You can look down the hole, but you can't enter the pit prison.
Dirleton Castle has very attractive surroundings with a well kept garden and lots of nice places for a picnic beneath the shade of Yew trees. The village of Dirleton is also very pretty with several idyllic little cottages surrounding a large village green.
We thoroughly enjoyed this castle and it will appeal to children too as it is great for games of "hide and seek". Parents be warned that there are several high walls that may be a hazard for adventurous children.
History enthusiasts should buy a guidebook as the information boards do not go into too much detail.
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Last Updated: 10/01/2008