Hidden Scotland
Sign in
A ruined castle standing above the sea on an Aberdeenshire clifftop.
Aberdeenshire

New Slains Castle

The roofless clifftop ruin of the Earls of Erroll east of Cruden Bay, refaced in granite in 1836 and abandoned in 1925, said to have inspired Bram Stoker's Dracula.

Welcome

A kilometre east of Cruden Bay, the clifftop path leads to a vast roofless ruin standing right at the edge of the cliffs, its empty windows looking straight out over the North Sea.

This is Slains Castle, the seat of the Earls of Erroll.

It was the home of the Hays, Earls of Erroll. When King James VI blew up their old castle down the coast in 1594, the earl came home from exile and built anew here on a tower house at Bowness. His descendants added wings and a courtyard, and in 1836 the whole castle was refaced in granite in the fashion of the day. Johnson and Boswell were guests in 1773. But the costs mounted, and in 1916 the 20th Earl had to sell. In 1925 the roof was taken off.

Its most famous admirer was Bram Stoker, and the castle is said to have given him the setting for Dracula.

The Daily

Arrives at 5am every day.

A free morning email to see what’s on this week, catch up on what’s happening in Scotland and find somewhere new to go.

The Daily for 31 October, from Scotland with love. A ring of standing stones set among mist and autumn birch
Before you go

Free, at any time.

It is a walk of about a kilometre along the clifftop path from Cruden Bay, or a shorter one from the car park on the A975 north of the castle. The ruin is unsafe in places and the cliffs are unfenced; keep to the paths.

Where
About a kilometre east of Cruden Bay, on the clifftop.
Getting there
On foot from Cruden Bay or the A975 car park.

Been here? Tell others what you know, and the best go on this page with your name.

Add your review

Did you know

A ruined castle perched on sea cliffs in Aberdeenshire, a path winding through the grass below.
Did you know

Blown up by a king.

The Earls of Erroll's first castle, Old Slains near Collieston, was blown up by King James VI in 1594.

Rugged sea cliffs and rock stacks along the Aberdeenshire coast.
Did you know

Dracula's castle.

Bram Stoker is said to have taken Slains Castle as his inspiration for Dracula.

A ruined castle standing on a clifftop above the sea in Aberdeenshire, fields stretching inland.
Did you know

Roof off.

The castle was sold in 1916, and its roof was taken off in 1925.

Ben Lerwill

From our guide to Aberdeenshire

This ruined clifftop castle has been in situ for some 400 years, and in the 19th century found an admirer in the form of Dracula author Bram Stoker, who alluded to its moody remains in his work. Roofless, and ravaged by time, it’s still a special spot.

Read more
Graeme Johncock

Bram Stoker gained inspiration for Dracula while staying in Cruden Bay. At the centre of the ruined New Slains Castle stands a unique octagonal room, just as described in the novel.

Read more
01 / 06
Where it is

On the clifftops about a kilometre east of Cruden Bay, on the Buchan coast.

Close byCruden Bay.
  1. Tables on the terrace at Harbour Dunes looking over Port Erroll and the bay.Harbour Dunes CaféA dog-friendly café above Port Erroll harbour, looking over the dunes and the bay.Under a mile 1 min by road
  2. A wood-burning stove set into an old stone wall at the Kilmarnock Arms.The Kilmarnock ArmsUnder a mile 2 min by road
  3. Cruden Bay Golf ClubCruden Bay Golf ClubLinks golf through towering dunes above the bay.1 mile 4 min by road
  4. Bullers of BuchanBullers of BuchanA collapsed sea cave, a great round pot open to the sea.2 miles 6 min by road
  5. The broken gable of Boddam Castle, a window open to the sky, on its rocky point above the sea.Boddam Castle and Stirling HillCliff-tops, a castle ruin on a finger of rock, and the flooded quarries of the red Peterhead granite.5 miles 10 min by road
  6. Buchan Ness LighthouseBuchan Ness LighthouseRobert Stevenson's red-banded lighthouse of 1827 at Boddam.6 miles 10 min by road
Directions
A cell hall in Peterhead Prison, galleries rising to the roof above a table-tennis table.AttractionsPeterhead Prison Museum7.5 miles
Low dunes and a still pool on the Forvie reserve under a wide sky.WalksForvie National Nature Reserve8.2 miles
The bronze of Fisher Jessie with a child at her side on Marischal Street, Peterhead.AttractionsFisher Jessie8.6 miles
Halved croissant on a plate beside a wicker bread basketCafeTrellis10 miles
Seal's head breaking the surface of calm grey waterAttractionsNewburgh Seal Beach11 miles
The Coffee Apothecary's long timber counter in Ellon, a barista at work under pendant lamps.CafeThe Coffee Apothecary Ellon11 miles
A great old yew spreading its branches over the lawn of Ellon Castle Gardens.AttractionsEllon Castle Gardens11 miles

Recommend to a friend

Hidden Scotland, the magazine

Scotland, in print.

We want to show you the best that Scotland has to offer. The makers and the creatives, the enduring experiences, the evocative tales, the concealed corners. The roads less travelled that take you to places that matter. The adventures that gather you up and sweep you away. The blend of the wild and the artistic that makes Scotland what it is. We’d love for you to join us.

Get Issue 13Read it here
Read on

What we have written about it and more in Aberdeenshire.

From the magazineAberdeenshire's Most HauntedArticleStory famous locations in Aberdeenshire
More in Aberdeenshire
Find out more

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