Do you love castles in Scotland and gardens? Arnot Tower is a ruined castle whose grounds have been turned into magnificent gardens. The interior of this ruin is a courtyard garden as well. There are wonderful wooded areas around to enjoy to.

Located in the Kingdom of Fife Arnet tower dates back to the 1400s and was the seat of Clan Arnot. 

Today you can visit the Arnot Tower Gardens in the summer. It looks like these gardens are only open to the public on Tuesdays. They are also open by appointment on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. Look for the Water Garden, Games Lawn, and Courtyard Garden. If you are interested in castles in Scotland then don’t miss Arnot Tower.

I can’t find a photo of Arnot Castle, I anyone would like to provide one I would be happy to give you a link in exchange. Contact me at sendemailhere@rocketmail.com

Technorati Tags: arnot tower, castle ruins, castles in scotland, Scotland Castles

If you have spent most of your life in a relatively young country like I have, then the concept of exploring a building that has been in use for thousands of years instead of the just hundreds is very intriguing. When you tour a few of these ancient buildings like the famous Scotland castles during a Scotland vacation you would find each has a rich history with friendly guides that are more than happy to fill you in.

The Purpose of Castles

The first Scotland castles were simple fortifications to keep one group of people safe from all the other groups of people out to get them. In the beginning these forts were thrown up using tall wooden palisades cut from nearby trees. Wood was also the material used to erect the tower within. These groups tried to pick the best spots for there fortifications like the top of a hill, a sharp bend in a river, or a nice sea cliff. But if those were not available the people would build there own hills and redirect the river to circle part of there keep.

As time went by and these groups grew larger and stronger they would replace the wooden tower with one made of stone, then the wooden fortification walls would be replaced with stronger stone ones as well. Often in Scotland the tower itself would be built in such a way that outer walls were no longer necessary. The people that would live inside the safety of these towers were the ones that were considered the leaders while the ones that lived outside the walls were the farmers. When danger was on its way, in the form of other clans or the Vikings, everyone that could, would quickly spill into the fortification and the large gates would be closed behind them. Wouldn’t you have hated being left outside those gates?

You can visit these ancient Scotland castles and hear all there stories and legends while looking at the actual structures yourself.

Above photo of Castle Stuart, Inverness, Scotland by conner395

Technorati Tags: Scotland Castles, scotland history

So, you have decided that you need a whimsical vacation roaming ancient paths and historical castles. It is good for you to visit a beautiful far off land and dream. What better place to dream than while touring on of many Scotland castles. What types of Scotland castles do you want to see?

Castle Ruins

If you enjoy exploring crumbling historical buildings and imagining how it looked long ago than you will love visiting Scotland’s castles. It has been said that there is a castle ruin on every hillock. This might be an exaggeration, but there are a lot of ruined castes to hike around.

Castle Tour

If you love antiques and lovingly restored buildings than aim for the castles that have been restored, cared for, and are open to tours. The tour guides will fill your head with history and legends of the keep you are exploring. Many of these castles are museums, so they will have all sorts of local antiques and artifacts to see.

Castle Hotels

The ultimate Scotland castle vacation involves at least on night sleeping in a castle. Depending on your budget you can find all sorts of restored castles with accommodations. You can stay anywhere from a five star resort type hotel to a more modest type castle hotel. You can even find castles to rent out in its entirety for your group.

Haunted Castles

Halloween might be over, but spirits are still floating though the halls of some of Scotland’s castle. Whether you believe in ghosts or not it is interesting to hear the legends and find out if something will make you believe.

Above photo of Eilean Donan Castle Scotland by conner 395

Technorati Tags: scotland castle hotels, scotland castle ruins, scotland castle tours, Scotland Castles, scotland haunted castles