Craigmillar Castle – Towers, Duddingston Loch and a Pub Lunch
A few hours.
The route
Craigmillar is Edinburgh's other castle: a big, roofless medieval fortress on a green rise at the south-east edge of the city, with towers to climb, cellars to explore and a view all the way to Arthur's Seat.
Add a stroll by Duddingston Loch and lunch at the Sheep Heid Inn, which traces its story back to 1360, and it's an easy morning.
Before you go
Book accommodation nearby
If you are staying over: here are ours nearest where the day starts and ends.
Book Craigmillar Castle tickets
Book Craigmillar Castle tickets online for 9.30am, when it opens, as they cost a little less than at the door; last entry is 4.30pm from April to September and 3.30pm from October to March.
Book a table at the Sheep Heid Inn
Book a table at the Sheep Heid Inn in Duddingston for about noon, above all at a weekend; it opens at noon on weekdays and 11.30am on Saturdays and Sundays.
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The day
Craigmillar
Craigmillar is a castle big enough to fill an hour or two of exploring. Then it's a few minutes on to the old village of Duddingston for a look at the loch and an unhurried pub lunch.
About three and a half hours
Craigmillar Castle
An attraction
The castle's own small car park is up the narrow Craigmillar Castle Road. Spaces are few, so come for opening time at 9.30am, and book your tickets online, where they cost a little less and you pick a time. This is a castle to explore: climb the tower house for the view across the city to Arthur's Seat, then go down into the vaulted cellars and round the walls. Mary, Queen of Scots came here to recover from illness in 1566. The spiral stairs are narrow and dim, with a rope for a handrail, so hold small hands. Ask for the toilet code with your ticket.
7 min by car
Duddingston Loch
An attraction
From the castle it's 7 minutes' drive north to Duddingston. Park in the Holyrood Park car park on Old Church Lane, by Duddingston Kirk. Walk a little way along the Duddingston Low Road, closed to cars, with the loch beside you, swans on the water and the slopes of Arthur's Seat rising above.
The Sheep Heid Inn
Lunch
From the kirk it's a short stroll along The Causeway to the Sheep Heid Inn, in Duddingston village. It claims an inn has stood here since 1360, which would make it one of the oldest pubs in Scotland. It opens at noon on weekdays and 11.30am on Saturdays and Sundays, and it's worth booking a table at the weekend.
If it rains
Rain does little harm here: much of Craigmillar is roofed, from the vaulted cellars to the great hall, and lunch is indoors. Keep the loch walk short or skip it.
Worth a detour
- Portobello Beach
Portobello Beach is a few minutes east of Duddingston: two miles of sand below a Victorian promenade, Edinburgh's own seaside. There's no car park by the beach, so park in the streets behind the promenade, where spaces are hard to find on a sunny day.
