We would to see the Dunnottar castle. Is it worth taking a day to the Dunnottar Castle or is the Stirling Castle a good castle to visit and skip the Dunnottar castle? It looks like it is a 2 hour drive to Dunnottar from Edinburgh. Where could we stay between Dunnottar and Oban for one night?
Posted by
Delaware
1376 posts
Hi, Cindy,
If you're heading for Oban from Edinburgh, Dunnottar Castle is pretty far out of your way. It's closer to three hours from Edinburgh. Check out some of the Dunnottar Castle videos on YouTube before making a final decision.
Stirling would be a good place for an overnight between Stonehaven and Oban. You could visit Dunnottar as a day trip, then spend the night in Stirling. You could then visit Stirling Castle in the morning, before driving on to Oban.
Dunnottar is probably the most scenically situated of the ruined castles. You need to decide whether it is worth driving about 200 miles out of your way to see it.
Whatever you decide, you will really enjoy Scotland!
Best wishes for your travels, and also for the New Year!
Mike (Auchterless)
Posted by
Lincolnshire, UK
1839 posts
Dunottar Castle and Stirling Castle are completely different and you can't really compare the two. Dunnottar is a magnificent position and 'exciting' to visit. Dunnottar is completely ruined so in some ways there isn't a lot to see once you get there. It is all about location! I don't know when you are intending to visit, but do not In the event of bad weather, the castle may be closed for safety reasons. If there are very strong winds for example, you wouldn't want to cross to the castle...
Depending on where you are coming from in Edinburgh and also traffic, you may want to allow 2.5+ hours to reach Dunnottar. You then need to allow time to park up and reach the castle.
Unless you go the 'long way round' via Aberdeen, Aviemore and Fort William, you will have to return to Perth and then A85 to Oban This is going to take about 4 hours drive. You could break journey in Crieff, which is an attractive old fashioned town with a reasonable choice of accommodation.
The other alternative would be to return to Edinburgh for the night and then set out for Oban the next day
Posted by
Mid-Atlantic area
6553 posts
As already stated, Dunnottar castle isn’t even close to Edinburgh and in the opposite direction from Oban. It is a nice castle ruin in a great location. Its parking lot is about 1/4 mile from the castle. To reach the castle one needs to go down a couple hundred stairs then up more to reach the castle. Repeat for coming back. If you do go there, nearby is the Old Kineff Church. It was at the church that the Scottish Crown Jewels were hidden in 1651 to keep them from the British. The church itself is small and in a somewhat remote spot.
Stirling Castle is very nice, but completely different. If you decide not to go to Dunnottar Castle and do visit Stirling Castle, consider stopping at nearby Doune Castle. It’s about 8 miles from Stirling and worth about an hour visit. The castle featured prominently in Outlander seasons 1 and 2.
Posted by
Mountains of S. Oregon
609 posts
I second Doune Castle. Even if you're not an Outlander fan. But we prefer ruins more than functional castles. After visiting Stirling and Edinburgh castles, I can barely remember the differences.
Posted by
Gig Harbor, Washington, USA
1819 posts
We visited Doune Castle a few years ago and really enjoyed it, especially since we are Monty Python fans. We did a return visit June, 2022. The interior of the castle was fenced off - this was also true for many other historic sites in Scotland. Before you plan visits to any historic sites in Scotland, make sure they are actually open for viewing and NOT fenced off for safety reasons.