This month we visit the outcast Dunnottar Castle in Stonehaven, United Kingdom.
Dunnottar Castle, “fort on the shelving slope,” is a ruined medieval fortress located upon a rocky headland on the north-east coast of Scotland, about 3 kilometres south of Stonehaven. The surviving buildings are largely of the 15th and 16th centuries, but the site is believed to have been fortified in the Early Middle Ages. Dunnottar has played a prominent role in the history of Scotland through to the 18th-century Jacobite risings because of its strategic location and defensive strength. Dunnottar is best known as the place where the Honours of Scotland, the Scottish crown jewels, were hidden from Oliver Cromwell’s invading army in the 17th century. The castle was restored in the 20th century and is now open to the public.
The ruins of the castle are spread over 1.4 hectares (3.5 acres), surrounded by steep cliffs that drop to the North Sea below. A narrow strip of land joins the headland to the mainland, along which a steep path leads up to the gatehouse. The various buildings within the castle include the 14th-century tower house as well as the 16th-century palace.
Plan of Dunnottar Castle Key: A Gatehouse and Benholm’s Lodging · B Tunnels · C Tower house · D Forge · E Waterton’s Lodging · F Stables · G Palace · H Chapel · I Postern gate · J Whigs’ Vault · K Bowling green · L Sentry box · M Cliffs · N North Sea
Em Surasak currently lives in Bangkok, Thailand and is an avid adventurer, traveler, photographer, and mountain climber. These days you can find him scaling cliffs throughout Europe and South East Asia.
“I’m a dirt person , I trust the dirt. I don’t trust diamond and gold.”
You can follow more of his adventures here on instagram.