Hailes Castle is a mainly 14th century castle about a mile and a half south-west of East Linton, East Lothian, Scotland. This castle, which has a fine riverside setting, belonged to the Hepburn family during the most important centuries of its existence.
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Hailes Castle in East Lothian sits on the Scottish Tyne River and is cared for by @historicscotland. Construction started as fortified tower house some time before 1300 by Hugo de Gourlay, making it one of the oldest buildings of its kind. The de Gourlays were a Northumbrian family and supported the English in the First War of Independence. The castle and lands were given to the Hepburn family after the war. The Hepburns dramatically extended the original central tower house with a new west range and large tower, complete with large undercroft and bread ovens. The original tower was turned into a dove cote. The new Great Hall doubled in function as a chapel. The defenders of Hailes repelled two sieges by Henry Hotspur. Other sieges were successful and the castle's inhabitants were slaughtered. Mary Queen of Scots stayed at Hailes before her wedding to James Hepburn, 4th Earl of Bothwell. She abdicated soon after and Hepburns lands and title were forfeited to the Crown. Parking is limited, but the single track lane is not as awful as other reviews suggest. Plenty of passing places if you don't...
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If you've visited Newhailes House in Musselburgh then this is a good pairing as both were owned by the Dalrymple family. If they really moved from the one to the other it must have been quite a change. This castle makes few concessions to comfort. The north side hangs over a bend in the River Tyne with a water gate (locked) for access. The rest of the ruins are a collection of tumble-down battlements, towers and cellars. It's a beautiful spot for a picnic. It could be combined with a walk upriver to Haddington, downriver to East Linton or even to the summit of Traprain Law. Other castles in East Lothian worth visiting include Dirleton and Tantallon. They are more easily accessed by public transport but have quite different atmospheres to this...
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Wonderful secluded castle tucked out of the way, but well worth going to visit. Tranquil area, near a river and brook that feeds into it with nice views of the valley and surrounding area. The area is well kept and has a nice area for picnics with some benches and some steps down to the river.
Disabled access is not really available to anyone who cannot walk, the gate and the path across the brook are not navigable really, though pushchairs will be ok if you can get it over (or will fit through) the main gate in.
The road down to the castle is single track with a few places to pass, but not many and parking has space on the road near the castle but only for about four...
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