Hidden Scotland
Sign in
Red sandstone castle ruins rise above a harbour where boats sit moored beside stacked lobster creels.
Lothian

Dunbar Castle

The red sandstone ruins of a castle on the rocks above Dunbar harbour, held by Black Agnes against a siege in 1338 and now home to kittiwakes.

Visit website
Welcome

The ruins of Dunbar Castle stand on a jumble of red rocks at the mouth of the harbour, a broken tower and a few ragged walls above the sea.

They are all that is left of what was once one of the strongest fortresses in Scotland. The name Dunbar means the fort of the headland, and there has been a stronghold here for more than two thousand years.

Its most famous defender was Black Agnes, Countess of Dunbar, who held the castle against the Earl of Salisbury for months in 1338. It is said that after each bombardment she sent her ladies out to dust the battlements, to show how little harm had been done, until the earl gave up and retreated. In 1566 Mary, Queen of Scots found refuge here after the murder of her Italian adviser, Rizzio.

In 1844 the entrance to the new Victoria Harbour was blasted straight through the ruins. Today the castle is home to a large colony of kittiwakes, and the best views are from the quays.

Before you go

A ruin on the rocks by the harbour, seen from the quays at any time.

Where
Victoria Harbour, Dunbar, EH42 1HX.
Siege
1338, Black Agnes.
Now
A kittiwake colony.

Did you know

A rocky coastal cove opens beside crumbling stone ruins on the clifftop.
Did you know

Dusting the battlements.

Black Agnes is said to have had her ladies dust the battlements after each bombardment, to mock the besieging earl.

Red sandstone castle ruins rise above a harbour where boats sit moored among gulls.
Did you know

A harbour through a castle.

In 1844 the entrance to Victoria Harbour was blasted through the castle's ruins.

Hidden Scotland

From our guide to Lothian

A broken tower and a few ragged walls on the red rocks at Dunbar harbour are all that's left of a fortress that once guarded this coast. Its most famous defender was Black Agnes, Countess of Dunbar, who held out against an English siege for months in 1338. The story goes that she sent her ladies to dust the battlements after each bombardment. Mary, Queen of Scots found refuge here in 1566. Today kittiwakes nest in the ruins, and the best views are from the quays.

Read more
What is on

What is new across Lothian, day by day.

New places, news and stories, as we find them.

What is on in Lothian
01 / 04
Where it is

On the rocks above Victoria Harbour, at the north end of Dunbar, EH42 1HX.

Close byDunbar harbour.
  1. Dunbar BatteryDunbar BatteryThe old gun battery on Lamer Island.Under a mile1 min by road
  2. The Creel Restaurant lit up on a wet street corner at nightThe Creel, DunbarA small restaurant by Dunbar harbour cooking local seafood and East Lothian produce, much recommended by the town's own people.Under a mile2 min by road
  3. Fishing boats moor beneath Dunbar Castle's red sandstone ruins on the harbourThe Creel LoadersThe fishing statue on Victoria Street.Under a mile2 min by road
  4. John Muir's Birthplace on Dunbar High Street, a white-harled house with flowers by the open door.John Muir's BirthplaceThe naturalist's house on the High Street.Under a mile2 min by road
  5. Dunbar High Street under a blue sky, the white Town House with its tower and spire among the old buildings.Dunbar Town House Museum & GalleryDunbar's 16th-century tolbooth on the High Street, with its witch's hat tower, now a free museum and gallery of the town's history.Under a mile2 min by road
  6. Railed path leads from grassy clifftop down to a rocky shorelineDunbar High StreetIt’s worth having a look along the High Street in Dunbar to grab a souvenir in one of the many wee gift shops.Under a mile2 min by road
Directions
White clubhouse with red tiled roof beside a links golf courseAttractionsDunbar Golf Course1.2 miles
Metal footbridge crosses a tidal creek on a wide sandy beachAttractionsBelhaven Bridge1.5 miles
Waves breaking on a sandy beach under a blue sky with scattered cloudsWalksDunbar Clifftop Path to Belhaven Bay1.5 miles
Grassy dunes overlook a curving sandy beach with Bass Rock offshoreAttractionsTyninghame Links3.2 miles over the water
Stone dovecot with conical tiled roof and outside stair, set in grassAttractionsPreston Mill8.2 miles
Ruined stone castle with wooden staircase leading to an arched doorwayAttractionsHailes Castle8.7 miles
Grassy headland overlooking a rocky shoreline and calm coastal watersAttractionsBerwickshire Coastal Path8.9 miles
A landscape view of the Blue Cabin at the foot of the brae, lamps lit by its red door and boats drawn up on the grass.CockburnspathBlue Cabin by the SeaSleeps 4 · 9.1 miles
Sunset breaks through clouds over a curving beach and low wavesAttractionsSeacliff11 miles
Stay nearby

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

A landscape view of the Blue Cabin at the foot of the brae, lamps lit by its red door and boats drawn up on the grass.Blue Cabin by the Sea
  • Sleeps 4
  • In Cockburnspath
  • 8 miles from Dunbar Castle
Check datesA 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 Lothian
  • 16 miles from Dunbar 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 Lothian
  • 17 miles from Dunbar Castle
Free 18–20 OctThe Crow’s Nest, FifeThe Crow’s Nest
  • Sleeps 5
  • In Lothian
  • 17 miles from Dunbar Castle
Free 2–4 NovPlaces to stayEvery stay in LothianAll our places to stay nearby, to search by date and by who is coming.See them all
Hidden Scotland, the magazine

Scotland, in print.

Every photograph commissioned, every word written by somebody who went. Printed twice a year, made in Scotland.

Get Issue 13Read it here
Find out more

For further reading, before you go.