Dunnottar Castle

Dunnottar Castle occupies a dramatic clifftop stack on the Aberdeenshire coast south of Stonehaven, separated from the mainland by a deep natural gully. The ruins include a fourteenth-century keep, a large tower house, and extensive courtyard buildings reflecting the castle's importance as a seat of the Keith family, Earls Marischal of Scotland. The site is approached via a steep path descending to the gully and back up to the gatehouse, rewarding visitors with views along the North Sea coast.