Three Historic Castle's and a Pub Day Tour

Three Historic Castle's and a Pub Day Tour

Completely flexible guided tours. We ensure our tours are crafted to our guests needs and wants. We always treat each guest as individuals and are sensitive to their wishes in order to make an unforgettable experience and lasting memories.

Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product

Stop At: Hailes Castle, East Linton Scotland

Explore Hailes Castle on the bank of the River Tyne, one of the last remaining Scottish castles from the 1200s. Its chosen site is rather surprising as it is overlooked by high ground which would have made it difficult to defend.
Hailes Cattle’s main claim to fame is James Hepburn, 4th earl of Bothwell was probably born at Hailes Castle in 1535. He’s most famous for becoming the third husband of Mary Queen of Scots. Bothwell and Mary stayed at Hailes Castle on their way from Dunbar to their wedding at Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh on May 5, 1567.


Duration: 1 hour

Stop At: Tantallon Castle, North Berwick EH39 5PN Scotland

We head to the coast and the stronghold that is Tantallon Castle. Perched on the clifftop, you can climb to top of the battlements of the last of the grand medieval castles and marvel at its sheer scale. Built in the 1300s it suffered many sieges throughout its history: James IV in 1491, James V in 1528 and Oliver Cromwell in 1651.
Cromwell’s army caused such destruction that the medieval fortress was abandoned after this last attack. If you have a head for heights, climb the winding stone stair case and enjoy views across the Firth of Forth to the Kingdom of Fife, and of Bass Rock which served as a Holy Sanctuary in the 700’s, then in the 1500’s as a garrison of about 100 soldiers, there to defend the rock and surviving on fish caught by gannets and by burning birds’ nests for warmth. What a harsh existence. Then in the 1600’s it became a state prison. Finally, from 1902 it provided a light in the dark in the form of a manually lit lighthouse, until 1988 when the light became automated. Today it provides home to the largest gannet colony in the world.


Duration: 2 hours

Stop At: Dirleton Castle, Dirleton Road, Dirleton, North Berwick EH39 5ER Scotland

We will explore your final castle of the day, Dirleton Castle which is a one of Scotland’s oldest surviving strongholds. This magnificent fortress–residence served three successive noble families over 400 years. Badly damaged in Cromwell’s 1650 siege, Dirleton’s fortunes were revived by its new owners in the 1660s.
The impressive cluster of towers dating from the 1200s is among the oldest castle architecture surviving in Scotland.


Duration: 2 hours