A couple of weeks ago we visited Doune Castle which is not far from Stirling, we hadn’t visited it before although we’ve been to Doune quite a lot and even looked at a house in the village when we were house-hunting prior to J’s retirement. The castle was built in the 14th century.
There’s some work requiring scaffolding going on at part of the castle.
Like many such places it has been used as a location for TV programmes and films and probably because of the plummeting pound it has seen a big increase in visitor numbers, especially from the US. I’m beginning to think that Diana Gabaldon should be given some sort of award from the Scottish government – for her services to tourism in Scotland.
There was also a wedding going on in the kitchen of all places while we were there and the bride was due any minute so we only got a quick look at the kitchen, the guests were already waiting for her to arrive.
Doune Castle has been famous for quite a long time though as it was used in Monty Python and the Holy Grail and Game of Thrones.
Internally it has some quite grand rooms that would have been more suitable for a wedding I think, but maybe that would have meant closing down most of the castle and they wouldn’t want to do that.
You can see more images of Doune Castle here.
The staircase below started off fine but got progressively narrower and steeper, it’s amazing to me that people manage to negotiate them without breaking something, although I did hear of one lady who got stuck in a staircase at Culross Palace!
Most of these National Trust properties have a dressing up box for the children, but at Doune it’s for adults who fancy dressing up as Clare from Outlander! One lady was desperate to try a dress on but I think they were all in Claire’s size so she had to give up trying. In the shop they have for sale replicas of Claire’s riding jacket priced at £200. I think you would have to be a fairly dedicated fan (or nutter) to shell out that sort of money.
We went for a walk around the castle and it was only then that we realised how well positioned it is. They built it on high ground at the confluence of two rivers, the River Teith and the Ardoch Burn so it wasn’t going to be easy for any attackers to gain access from those sides. There were a few men fishing in the Teith.
There isn’t a tearoom at the castle but we enjoyed coffee, scones and cake at Willows Dell which is in the village of Doune nearby. You can see photos of the village here.
Katrina,
When we visited Stirling a few years ago, I wasn’t aware of the existence of Castle Doune. Wish I had known about it, but we had a delightful day in Stirling and toured the main castle which had a lovely view of the surrounding countryside. I haven’t watched Outlander yet. Just wondering what your opinion is of that series….
Thanks,
Paula
Paula,
Stirling is my favourite castle I think, better than Edinburgh and not so crowded. I also like Castle Campbell which isn’t far from Stirling. https://www.visitscotland.com/info/see-do/castle-campbell-and-gardens-p248551 – it’s in a lovely location. We’ve watched the first series of Outlander and we were just watching to spot the locations, but we both ended up getting dragged into the story and looking forward to it each week. Neither of us have read the books. I’ve been told that series 2 is set in France and that one isn’t so enjoyable.
Doune Castle looks lovely, definitely going on my to do list.
Lindsay Fitzpatrick,
If you’re into antiques there’s an antiques centre just a mile or so outside the village.
I love Outlander – both the books and the tv adaptation (which is one of the best adaptation of book to screen that I’ve seen). Not sure I love it enough to buy that riding jacket though!
Sandra,
I haven’t read the books, I think the thickness of them put me off! You would have to be a dedicated and crazy fan to buy the riding jacket – even at half the price! The gift shops in a village just a few miles from here (used in the first episode as Claire gazes in a shop window there) have postcards from the show, and another shop there sells Claire’s knitted long fingerless gloves at £26 – I’m quite tempted because the wool is so nice!
I read the first Outlander but couldn’t tie myself into more of the same. I’ve never been much for the bodice ripping genre, no matter how fancy the wrapping. Went to Doune first visit after V moved to Dollar. Had just seen Spamalot earlier that week on Broadway and it fit right in to the itinerary!
Carolyn,
I have no intention of reading any of the books, the size of them puts me off! I had thought that the action would go backwards and forwards between the times but so far she’s stuck in 1743. I can’t believe how long it has taken us to get around to visiting Doune as we go past it regularly.