Discover Historic Scottish Castles

April 9, 2009

Historic Scottish Castles

Many people in the UK are considering ’staycations’ this year, instead of jetting off to the Canaries or the Costa del Sol for the sun. Staying at home and visiting many interesting destinations that are within easy reach is becoming increasingly popular as people try to save money and lessen their carbon footprints.

One destination that is proving increasingly popular is Scotland. One of the main attractions that brings people to Scotland is the countries colourful history.

Scottish history is enormously interesting and often quite bloody. There have been numerous bloody battles on Scottish soil and the country hosts lots of ancient castles and grand stately homes. During the second world war many stately homes and castles were used for troops and hospitals. Some buildings became damaged and run down during this time, leading to their demolition. During the 1960’s it was sad to see around one large house demolished somewhere in Scotland every week.

Luckily this practice came to an end but property owners were faced with huge maintenance and repair costs. Many have now been restored into functioning homes and hotels like the magnificent Glenapp Castle hotel which was acquired by hoteliers in 1994. Lengthy and expensive restoration has turned this not-so-ancient castle into a popular luxurious hotel.

Many Scottish castles are nothing more than ruins, which isn’t surprising when you consider their age and history. Castle Sween is one such fantastic, historic ancient castle. This castle was originally built in the 11th or 12th centuries and was names after a Dane called Sueno. Robert the Bruce captured the castle in 1315.

To make the most of any visit to a Scottish castle it is useful to have some knowledge of the castle history. This will really bring your visit to life as you picture the people who lived, loved, worked and died in the castle.

For a complete change I strongly recommend you consider a visit to Scotland and touring historic castles for your vacation this year.

When flying from Edinburgh or Glasgow I always book my Edinburgh Airport Parking or my Glasgow Airport Parking space in advance as this always gives me savings of up to 60%.

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