A ruined stone castle with crenellated battlements stands behind a stretch of green lawn.

Edinburgh

Craigmillar Castle

Edinburgh's other castle, a ruined tower house of the late 1300s in parkland south-east of the city, where Mary Queen of Scots stayed in 1566.

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Welcome

On a rise in the green parkland south-east of the city, the ruined walls of Craigmillar Castle stand above the lawns, a mile beyond where old Edinburgh ended.

Visited and photographed by Simon Hird

It was built as a retreat from the capital, close enough to its politics to be useful and far enough away to be quiet.

Inside the outer walls is a castle to explore rather than just look at: a grassy courtyard shaded by a great old tree, vaulted cellars and a prison, a great hall with its fireplace, narrow spiral stairs, and wall-walks with round corner towers. It is a quieter place than the castle on the rock, and the park around it makes a good walk. Bring a torch for the darker corners and good shoes for the stairs.

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Before you go

Tickets are booked for a set time through Historic Environment Scotland.

Climb the tower for views over Holyrood Park to Edinburgh Castle.

By bus: Buses run from the city centre to the Craigmillar Castle Road stops, on Peffermill Road and on Old Dalkeith Road. From either it is a 15-minute walk on the paths through the park; the road itself has no pavement.
By bike: Ten minutes from the Innocent Railway Tunnel on National Cycle Network Route 1, with some busy road; cycle parking at the visitor centre.
Parking: Very limited, and not guaranteed.
Inside: Five levels, reached by narrow, uneven spiral stairs with rope handrails; light is low in places.

Opening hours

Monday: 9.30am–5pm
Tuesday: 9.30am–5pm
Wednesday: 9.30am–5pm
Thursday: 9.30am–5pm
Friday: 9.30am–5pm
Saturday: 9.30am–5pm
Sunday: 9.30am–5pm

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Did you know

A round corbelled tower anchors the corner of a ruined castle's battlemented walls.

Did you know

One of the first tower houses.

At its heart is a tower house of the late 1300s, among the first castles of its kind built in Scotland. Each owner added to it, until it became a warren of rooms, ranges and walls.

A stone-vaulted hall holds a fireplace flanked by an arched doorway and window.

Did you know

A queen's refuge.

Mary Queen of Scots came here as a safe haven in 1566. A room in the tower is called Queen Mary's Room, though she more likely had a set of rooms in the east range.

A stone-vaulted cellar curves into shadow beneath a low arched ceiling.

Did you know

Her host, then her jailer.

Its owner, Sir Simon Preston, was a loyal supporter whom Mary had made Provost of Edinburgh. A year later, after her capture in 1567, he became her jailer for her first night as a prisoner.

A wooden fenced walkway runs along a castle's edge with Arthur's Seat rising beyond the city.

Did you know

A pond shaped like a P.

In the grounds are the remains of a fishpond laid out in the shape of a letter P, for Preston.

A carved heraldic panel sits above an arched doorway in a castle's battlemented wall.

Did you know

Gunholes like keyholes.

The courtyard wall, built in the 1400s and still well preserved, is pierced with gunholes shaped like upside-down keyholes.

Autumn foliage grows before the crow-stepped gables of a ruined castle, hills rising beyond.

Did you know

A tree that swallowed a wall.

Among the old trees in the grounds is a sycamore south of the castle that has grown right around a drystone dyke.

A broad tree spreads across a castle courtyard framed by stone walls and battlements.

Did you know

A garden vegetable gone wild.

Some plants by the castle probably survive from its old garden, among them Good-King-Henry, once widely eaten as a vegetable.

A ruined castle's grassy courtyard is seen from above, Arthur's Seat rising in the distance.

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Where it is

In Craigmillar Castle Park, about a mile outside the old city walls, south-east of the centre of Edinburgh.

Close byThe places nearest the castle, by road.

Directions

Water of Leith winds through Dean Village beneath timber-fronted tenements and stone walls

AttractionsAround Duddingston village1.5 miles

Gravel path with stone steps leading towards a grassy hilltop peak

AttractionsHolyrood Park and Arthur’s Seat1.5 miles as the crow flies

Calton Hill's monuments rise above Edinburgh's rooftops beyond a grassy park

AttractionsHolyrood Park1.5 miles as the crow flies

The dining room at Condita by candlelight, with round wooden tables laid for dinner in the foreground and string-art panels on the white walls beyond.

RestaurantsCondita1.7 miles

The bright yellow front of Tiger Dragon at 87 St Leonard's Street, its sign reading Chinese Traditional Pancake, with a white bench under the window.

CafeTiger Dragon1.9 miles

The pink front of Book Lovers Bookshop on Melville Terrace, its hanging sign reading A Romance Bookshop and romance novels in the window.

ShoppingBook Lovers Bookshop1.9 miles

The bright café at Lady and the Bear, with wooden tables and chairs, plants along big windows and a blue counter at the back.

CafeLady and the Bear1.9 miles

The pale front of Pomelo at 27 Sciennes Road, its name painted small beside the open door and a wooden bench under the window.

RestaurantsPomelo1.9 miles

A cast-iron pot of braised tofu in a red chilli sauce beside a plate of crisp battered slices in a light, sweet sauce, on a blue tablecloth at The Way Taste.

RestaurantsThe Way Taste1.9 miles

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Stay nearby

Places to stay near the castle, and when each is next free.

A turreted sandstone building with conical spires catches the evening light above rooftops, a large pine tree standing beside it.

The Scott Hotel

A hotel
In Edinburgh
2 miles from Craigmillar

Check dates

A round table and chairs stand before tall curtained windows looking onto stone buildings, a sofa and mounted television to the right.

Moment George IV Bridge

Sleeps 2
In Edinburgh
3 miles from Craigmillar

Check dates

A hotel studio room with a beige fitted kitchen unit and stainless sink beside a bed dressed in white and teal cushions, a wall of black-framed pictures above a patterned headboard.

Old Town Chambers

To stay
In Edinburgh
3 miles from Craigmillar

Check dates

West End Muse

Sleeps 4
In Edinburgh
3 miles from Craigmillar

Check dates Places to stayEvery stay in EdinburghAll our places to stay nearby, to search by date and by who is coming.See them all

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