Tantallon Castle...climb to the battlements of the last of the grand medieval castles and marvel at its scale. Set high on a cliff edge and featuring a massive red sandstone curtain wall, it was home to the Red Douglas dynasty.
Tantallon Castle - home of my ancestors, the Red Douglases.
Tantallon sits atop a promontory opposite the Bass Rock, looking out onto the Firth of Forth. The last medieval curtain wall castle to be constructed in Scotland, Tantallon comprises a single wall blocking off the headland, with the other three sides naturally protected by sea cliffs. Tantallon was built in the mid 14th century by William Douglas, 1st Earl of Douglas. It was passed to his illegitimate son, George Douglas,(my ancestor) who was later created Earl of Angus, and despite several sieges, it remained the property of his descendants for much of its history. It was besieged by King James IV in 1491, and again by his successor James V in 1528, when extensive damage was done. Tantallon saw action in the First Bishops' War in 1639, and again during Oliver Cromwell's invasion of Scotland in 1651, when it was once more severely damaged. It was sold by the Marquis of Douglas in 1699 to Hew Dalrymple, Lord North Berwick and the ruin is today in the care of Historic Scotland.
This was the first of the castle ruins we went to and I was surprised that it was out in the middle of the countryside, and not in a village. It was isolated and we were essentially alone. It was quiet, thought provoking, beautiful and very, very windy!
Johnny taking pictures. The wind made it quite cold.
Looking out to Bass Rock.
Me, on top of the curtain wall of my castle.
And this better shows the scale of what is left of this castle. I wanted to bring back a small bit of soil from "my" castle, but there was no dirt...grass was growing everywhere!!!
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