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Dirleton Castle, a sandstone ruin on its rock with a wooden bridge to the gate under a blue sky.
Lothian

Dirleton Castle & Gardens

A castle ruin of the 13th century in the village of Dirleton, with gardens that hold the longest herbaceous border in the world.

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Welcome

In the middle of the pretty village of Dirleton, near North Berwick, a castle of the 13th century rises from a rock above its gardens.

It served three noble families over four hundred years, was badly battered by Cromwell's army in the siege of 1650, and has been a romantic ruin ever since.

Its later owners, the Nisbets, built themselves a new house nearby in the 1660s and made the ruin the centrepiece of their landscape. They also brought the gardens back to life, and today those gardens are famous: they hold the longest herbaceous border in the world, a great bank of colour through the summer. There is a beehive-shaped doocot too, lined inside with rows of nesting boxes.

Cross the timber bridge to the gate to explore the castle, then walk the gardens at your own pace. Dirleton is cared for by Historic Environment Scotland and opens every day.

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The Daily for 30 October, from Scotland with love. Aerial view of a teal-coloured lochan cupped in a forested hollow, a scree slope rising on one side and autumn-tinged pines ringing the shore.
A short drive awayNorth Berwick Golf ClubThe West Links beside the town and the Firth of Forth, home of the original Redan, with the Bass Rock offshore and stone walls in play.6 min by roadSee itNorth Berwick Golf Club
Before you go

Open every day, 9.30am to 4.30pm; tickets from Historic Environment Scotland.

Where
Dirleton, EH39 5ER.
Built
The 13th century.
Garden
The world's longest herbaceous border.

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Where it is

In the middle of the village of Dirleton, between North Berwick and Gullane, EH39 5ER.

Close byDirleton.
  1. Timber-clad Archerfield Walled Garden building with plants displayed outside the entranceArcherfield Walled GardenThe walled garden on the estate next door.1 mile 5 min by road
  2. Waves lapping a sandy beach lined with distant pine treesYellowcraigThe beach and woods by Fidra.1 mile 6 min by road
  3. MuirfieldMuirfield2 miles 4 min by road
  4. The front of La Potinière on Main Street in Gullane, a curved grey-painted shopfront with its name in gold letters above the door, lavender and summer flowers in bloom outside.La PotinièreA small, owner-run restaurant on Gullane's Main Street with a short set menu that changes with the seasons, listed in the Michelin Guide.2 miles as the crow flies
  5. The white lighthouse on the grassy rocky top of Fidra island beneath a grey and blue sky.Fidra IslandThe island with the lighthouse.3 miles 10 min by road
Directions
Wooden fence lining a coastal golf course fairway under grey skiesAttractionsNorth Berwick Golf Club2.3 miles
Wooden dining table under black pendant lights in a brick-walled caféRestaurantsThe Herringbone2.6 miles
Dark-fronted Norden shopfront with sash windows on a sandstone terraceShoppingNørden2.6 miles
Whynot? shopfront with hanging flower baskets and pavement signs on a stone-built streetShoppingwhynot?2.7 miles
North Berwick's waterfront houses seen from the sea below the LawAttractionsNorth Berwick2.7 miles
Woman entering Zanzibar shop on a corner sandstone building with bay windowsCafeZanzibar2.7 miles
Laura Thomas Co shopfront with hanging basket and parking sign on street cornerShoppingLaura Thomas Co2.7 miles
Sandy beach curves beneath a row of coastal houses and a church spireAttractionsNorth Berwick Beach2.7 miles
Dirt path winding through dense woodland with tall treesAttractionsThe Glen, North Berwick2.7 miles

Recommend to a friend

Stay nearby

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

A stone cottage with red pantiled roofs and a gabled dormer sits behind a gravel courtyard, an apple tree in the foreground.Maybell Cottage
  • Sleeps 2
  • In Pittenweem
  • 12 miles from Dirleton Castle
Check datesAn orange leather sofa draped with a sheepskin faces a stone fireplace beneath a timber ceiling, a staircase rising behind.The Old Stable
  • Sleeps 2
  • In Pittenweem
  • 12 miles from Dirleton Castle
Free 31 Oct – 2 NovThe Crow’s Nest, FifeThe Crow’s Nest
  • Sleeps 4
  • In Pittenweem
  • 12 miles from Dirleton Castle
Free 2–5 NovFifies, FifeFifies
  • Sleeps 2
  • In Pittenweem
  • 12 miles from Dirleton Castle
Free 1–3 NovPlaces to stayEvery stay in LothianAll our places to stay nearby, to search by date and by who is coming.See them all
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The collections it is in and more in Lothian.

CollectionCastle Gardens in ScotlandCollectionCastles in Scotland Worth the Entry FeeCollectionThe Best Day Trips from Edinburgh
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