St Andrews Castle opens to visitors again with Burleigh Castle set to follow

Full access restrictions were put in place by HES at the site last year as a precaution during essential high level masonry inspections.  

While some minor access restrictions will remain in place, visitors can once again access the historical attraction with only internal sections of the castle’s North Range and South Range Fore Tower still restricted due to of potential hazards found during recent inspections which now require monitoring and repair by HES’s operations teams.

All other areas of the iconic site - which in its 450 year history has played a key role in Scotland’s story, adopting the mantle of everything from bishop’s palace, fortress, and state prison over that time - is now open again for the public to enjoy. A new Virtual Reality (VR) trial is also taking place at the site, providing visitors with access to digital content that brings alive different aspects of the castle’s colourful history.

St Andrews Castle is the latest in an ongoing series of site reopeninsg by HES this summer, with Burleigh Castle, the 500-year-old Kinross-shire tower house also due for inspection later this month.

Stephen Duncan, Director of Marketing and Engagement at HES said:

“We are committed to reopening as many of our sites as possible, as we work through our programme of high-level masonry inspections, which are progressing well. Our teams intend to work through the winter months as far as possible to expedite the reopening of our much-loved heritage sites.

Both St Andrews and Burleigh Castles are popular landmarks, and we're looking forward to welcoming visitors back initially to St Andrews Castle and then to both properties once Burleigh joins it, with only minor restrictions in place."

Tickets for St Andrews Castle are available now. To book and for more information on current and further HES sites reopening visit our History Awaits page. 

About Year of Stories 2022

The Year of Stories (#YS2022 #TalesOfScotland), led by VisitScotland, will be showcased throughout 2022 and will spotlight, celebrate and promote the wealth of stories inspired by, written, or created in Scotland. From icons of literature to local tales, Scotland’s Year of Stories encourages locals and visitors to experience a diversity of voices, take part in events and explore the places, people and cultures connected to all forms of our stories, past and present.

About Historic Environment Scotland (HES) 

• We are the lead public body charged with caring for, protecting and promoting the historic environment. We will lead on delivering Scotland’s first strategy for the historic environment, Our Place in Time.
• Historic Scotland, Scran, Canmore, The National Collection of Aerial Photography (NCAP), The Engine Shed, Stirling Castle and Edinburgh Castle are sub-brands of HES.
• View our press pack and keep up to date by registering for media release email alerts. If you wish to unsubscribe, please contact us.

Follow Historic Environment Scotland

Twitter: @HistEnvScot | @welovehistory

Facebook: @HistoricEnvScotland | @VisitHistoricScotland

Instagram: @HistEnvScot | @historicscotland

Blog
LinkedIn