Castle recommendations please!

[austenfiend]

I realize that this is a matter of personal opinion, but if you were going to be in Dublin, Kilkenney, Belfast, Invergordon, Edinburgh and Glascow - which castle(s) would you not miss?  I think I might be able to get my family into two castles, max.

[John Bull]

Edinburgh Castle for sure.

And unlike a lot of castles it's right in the centre of the city, at the top of "the Royal Mile"with many sights, pubs, restaurants, etc.

 

JB 

[Thejuggler]

If its an option, Stirling.  Similar to Edinburgh, but not as manic.  Its also in the town centre.

[JimmyTheSaint]

Out of your list there's only one must see - Edinburgh.

 

If you do manage to get a second one I would suggest Kilkenny. It's right in the city centre, easy access, lots of history and it's part of the Medieval Mile walk around Kilkenny.

[Alaskanb]

Dunrobin Castle from Invergordon. Great Falconry show -- we did a private tour out of Invergordon to get the right timing for the Falconry. I still follow their Facebook page.

http://www.dunrobincastle.co.uk

Edited September 3, 2019 by Alaskanb

[John Bull]

2 hours ago, Thejuggler said:

If its an option, Stirling.  Similar to Edinburgh, but not as manic.  Its also in the town centre.

 

Yes, I'd put Stirling Castle level with Edinburgh Castle, especially its history.

But it's about an hour away by road or rail, and the town itself doesn't co,pare with Edinburgh.

So Edinburgh would get the nod from me.

 

BTW, OP,  if you're spending time in London there's The Tower of London and Windsor Castle.

Or if sailing out of Dover, Dover Castle is the daddy of English castles

 

JB  

[geoherb]

We enjoyed our independently booked excursion from Invergordon that went to Urquhart Castle and Cawdor Castle and included a cruise on Loch Ness. We also went by the Culloden Battlefield and stopped at the Clava Cairns. 

[trosebery]

Kilkenny strikes me as the odd location out as it's not near a port? Are you doing a land tour of Ireland before or after your cruise? If so, you might be able to stay in a castle and not just visit one.

 

Dublin castle is a hot mess hodgepodge of styles: 

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2d/Dublin-Castle-Green-Park-2012.JPG

I wouldn't prioritize it over other Dublin attractions, but it's worth a gawk and a photo if you happen to be walking by.

 

Belfast castle is 19th century and probably not the type of castle you're looking for? It's definitely not the most interesting thing in or near Belfast, so I wouldn't put it on my list.

 

Stirling castle, accessible from Greenock/Glasgow or Edinburgh, is worth a visit and was probably my favourite. I also enjoyed visiting Edinburgh castle. There are lots of castle options from Invergordon, either ruins like Urquhart or, again, more 19th century structures like Dunrobin.

[aqua]

Edinburgh Castle is impressive.  It can be very busy so is is helpful to purchase advance tickets online.  We were advised to choose the first.entrance time and head upstairs to the Crown Jewels immediately.  It was good advice as we were ahead of the crowd.  We saw several castles on our trip and this was one of the best.  

[BPCruiser]

On 9/4/2019 at 4:45 PM, geoherb said:

We enjoyed our independently booked excursion from Invergordon that went to Urquhart Castle and Cawdor Castle and included a cruise on Loch Ness. We also went by the Culloden Battlefield and stopped at the Clava Cairns. 

 

We will be in Invergorden in August 2020. Would you be interested in sharing your tour company recommendation? The sites you mentioned all sound excellent. Thank You!

[nini]

On 9/3/2019 at 4:44 PM, Alaskanb said:

Dunrobin Castle from Invergordon. Great Falconry show -- we did a private tour out of Invergordon to get the right timing for the Falconry. I still follow their Facebook page.

http://www.dunrobincastle.co.uk

Alaskanb- I went to their website and there is no way to book any tours. It just

lists the hours and rates of admission. I will e-mail them also. Thx for the info.

[mauimary]

5 hours ago, BPCruiser said:

  On 9/4/2019 at 2:45 PM, geoherb said:

We enjoyed our independently booked excursion from Invergordon that went to Urquhart Castle and Cawdor Castle and included a cruise on Loch Ness. We also went by the Culloden Battlefield and stopped at the Clava Cairns. 

We also would be interested in this tour if you wouldn’t mind sharing the name with us. 
thank you. 

[Alaskanb]

3 hours ago, nini said:

Alaskanb- I went to their website and there is no way to book any tours. It just

lists the hours and rates of admission. I will e-mail them also. Thx for the info.

This was the tour we did with Dougie. He made sure we were at Dunrobin at the right time https://www.highlandtours.info/invergordon-quintessential-scottish-highland-day-tour/

 

[nini]

32 minutes ago, Alaskanb said:

This was the tour we did with Dougie. He made sure we were at Dunrobin at the right time https://www.highlandtours.info/invergordon-quintessential-scottish-highland-day-tour/

 

Thank you- I have e-mailed them.

[geoherb]

9 hours ago, BPCruiser said:

 

We will be in Invergorden in August 2020. Would you be interested in sharing your tour company recommendation? The sites you mentioned all sound excellent. Thank You!

 

We went with https://www.invergordontours.com/

 

I enjoyed the day a lot. Some others thought the buses were too crowded. I think they held 24 passengers each. 

Edited January 26, 2020 by geoherb

[Luv2cruz1000]

Liked Edinburgh castle better than Stirling. Also would vote Windsor if you are in London area. Both these are nice areas to hang out. (Windsor is easy by train from London) 

Not sure if there are tours but also loved Blackness Castle and Doune as they are not as "remodelled" as Sterling. 

Not sure if you have a long port time in Edinburgh but there is "Edinburgh's other castle" it is within town limits and does not have a lot of "finished" rooms. We really liked seeing the more primitive castles. 

[dogs4fun]

Would agree with others - considering the OPs itinerary,  Edinburgh Castle is not to be missed.

8 hours ago, Luv2cruz1000 said:

Not sure if you have a long port time in Edinburgh but there is "Edinburgh's other castle" it is within town limits and does not have a lot of "finished" rooms. We really liked seeing the more primitive castles. 

I can't figure out to which castle you are referring ... Craigcrook? Lauriston? Craigmillar? I can't think of another that is within the city (doesn't mean there isn't one). 

Could you possibly be referring to the Palace of Holyroodhouse which is located at the opposite end of the Royal Mile from Edinburgh Castle?

 

 

 

 

[Luv2cruz1000]

48 minutes ago, dogs4fun said:

Would agree with others - considering the OPs itinerary,  Edinburgh Castle is not to be missed.

I can't figure out to which castle you are referring ... Craigcrook? Lauriston? Craigmillar? I can't think of another that is within the city (doesn't mean there isn't one). 

Could you possibly be referring to the Palace of Holyroodhouse which is located at the opposite end of the Royal Mile from Edinburgh Castle?

 

 

 

 

Craigmillar Castle