Sanquhar Castle — Attraction in Scotland

Sanquhar Castle, now a ruin, was built in the 13th century; the ruins are situated north east of Dumfries overlooking the River Nith. Situated on the southern approach to the former royal burgh of Sanquhar in Dumfries and Galloway, south west Scotland, it sits on the trail of the Southern Upland Way. The castle is a stronghold bounded on the west by the River Nith, to the north by a burn, and made strong by a deep ditch running the remainder of the boundary.

The castle was built by the Ross family in the 13th century and then passed to the Crichton family in the 14th century. In July 1617, James VI and I, visited the castle en route to Glasgow: the Crichtons welcomed him with a display so huge that it bankrupted them. Sanquhar Castle was sold by the Crichtons in the mid 17th century to Sir William Douglas, 1st Duke of Queensberry, who established the fairytale pink sandstone Drumlanrig Castle ten miles south of Sanquhar near Thornhill. From then on the castle at Sanquhar began to steadily crumble to a ruin, until 1895 when John Crichton-Stuart, 3rd Marquess of Bute, purchased it and attempted to enthuse a restoration of his ancestral home, following successful restorations at Cardiff Castle and Castell Coch in Wales. This was undertaken by Robert Weir Schultz and the squarer and more structurally sound sections rebuilt at that time can clearly be identified.

Work ended following the death of the Marquess in 1900, and what is left of the site is a mix of restoration and original stonework, but still very far from any sense of completion. It is designated a...

Amazing ruins, Google directions are a little off, park in the main road and follow the footpath signposted. The earthworks show that this was a pretty impressive strong hold and the list of Royal visitors to the site (Bruce, Wallace, Edward, Mary etc) means it must have been quite an important strategical site. The castle itself lays in ruins, with only one tower and a part of the main building left standing. But you can see how impressive it must have been in its day. A few more notice boards showing a bit more information about the castle and perhaps an image of the floor plan as it was would be a welcome addition to the...

An attractive spot on the south edge of the town, BUT, the remains are fairly small and fenced off to the public (probably danger from loose masonry), hence the 3 stars. Easy access to land around the site and nice views south west over the Nith valley towards the hills and wind turbines beyond. The Southern Upland Way (long distance footpath) runs along the NW border...