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Edzell Castle

The red sandstone ruin of the Lindsays' castle near Edzell, with its famous walled garden of 1604 and the summer house where the family took the evening air.

Welcome

A mile outside the village of Edzell, at the foot of the Angus glens, the red sandstone walls of Edzell Castle stand roofless among the trees, and beside them lies one of the loveliest gardens in Scotland.

The Lindsays, a gifted and turbulent noble family, came into the estate in 1358 and built the castle in the 1500s, a fine tower house that welcomed Mary, Queen of Scots and later her son, James VI. In 1604 Sir David Lindsay added a walled garden, and it is the garden that draws people today: clipped box hedges shaped into thistles and fleurs-de-lys, the family mottoes spelled out in flowers, niches in the high walls, and a little summer house in one corner where the Lindsays would sit on fine summer evenings.

In high summer, with the beds in full flower against the old red stone, it is a quiet and beautiful place.

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Before you go

Open Friday to Sunday, 10am to 4pm, from April to September, closed for lunch from 12.30 to 1.30pm; closed from October to March.

Adults £7.50 booked online.

Where
About a mile west of Edzell, near Brechin.
The garden
Walled, laid out in 1604.

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Where it is

About a mile west of the village of Edzell, north of Brechin in Angus.

Close byEdzell.
  1. Sinclair's Larder's purple shopfront and planted terrace on Edzell High Street.Sinclair’s LarderA bright café bistro on Edzell's High Street, with fresh seasonal food, home baking and good coffee, open seven days a week.1 mile 3 min by road
  2. The North Esk tumbling through its wooded gorge among autumn leaves.Edzell Blue Door WalkThrough a blue door to the gorge of the North Esk.2 miles 5 min by road
  3. Walker in yellow coat balances on frosty rocks beside a riverRiver North EskStretching 47 kilometres from Scotland’s eastern coast, just north of Montrose, to the Water of Lee in the Cairngorms3 miles 6 min by road
  4. The pale stone ring of the White Caterthun on its hilltop, Strathmore beyond.The Brown and White Caterthuns4 miles 7 min by road
  5. The tall copper stills in Fettercairn's stillhouse, among steel walkways.Fettercairn DistilleryA distillery at the foot of the Grampians.6 miles 11 min by road
  6. Church nave with wooden pews facing a stained glass window and organ pipesBrechin CathedralA medieval cathedral with a round tower.7 miles 14 min by road
Directions
The tall stone Royal Arch over the street in Fettercairn.CafeThe Arch Café and Bistro5.7 miles
The stone buildings and pagoda-roofed kiln of Glencadam Distillery, Brechin.AttractionsGlencadam Distillery6.8 miles
The green and cream station building of the Caledonian Railway at Brechin.AttractionsCaledonian Railway7.0 miles
The River South Esk running clear over rocks between wooded banks.AttractionsRiver South Esk7.7 miles
Green sign reading "Garden Centre Coffee Shop" above a shop entrance with £1 pounder displaysActivityBrechin Castle Centre8.3 miles
The stone steading at Charleton Farm on a sunny morning, with planters made from old fruit crates in front of the cafe and the farm shop door at the far end.AttractionsCharleton Farm9.6 miles
Stone arched bridge spanning a wide river beneath a cloudy blue skyAttractionsBridge of Dun11 miles
Sandstone mansion with columned entrance, chimneys and flag against a cloudy skyAttractionsHouse of Dun12 miles
The white front of the Retreat at Tarfside, with tall chimneys and a red-framed window.AttractionsGlenesk Folk Museum12 miles

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Stay nearby

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

Timber cabin with metal roof and decking surrounded by woodland treesNorth Lodge and River Cabin
  • Sleeps 6
  • In Banchory
  • 11 miles from Edzell Castle
Free 10–11 NovA stone cottage with dormer windows stands behind a low pale blue gate, a bare-branched arch over the path to the front door and frost on the lawn.Gamekeeper’s Cottage
  • Sleeps 6
  • In Strachan
  • 11 miles from Edzell Castle
Free 10–11 NovA green sitting room with a blue sofa, a leather and sheepskin armchair and a rustic coffee table before a tall window with red curtains, looking out to pine forest and a valley.The Hay Loft at Glendye
  • Sleeps 4
  • In Strachan
  • 11 miles from Edzell Castle
Free 16–17 NovA stone cottage with a slated roof and black stove pipe sits beside a gravel drive, foxgloves and wildflowers lining the path.No 4 Steading Cottage
  • Sleeps 7
  • In Strachan
  • 11 miles from Edzell Castle
Free 12–13 NovPlaces to stayEvery stay in AngusAll our places to stay nearby, to search by date and by who is coming.See them all
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What we have written about it, the collections it is in and more in Angus.

From the magazineThe Best of AngusArticleThe White Lady of Edzell CastleCollectionCastle Gardens in Scotland
More in Angus

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For further reading, before you go. The details on this page were checked on .