Overview
Explore a castle hotly fought over during the Wars of Independence with England. Bothwell Castle, built on a grand scale in the late 1200s, frequently passed back and forth between English and Scottish hands.
Such hostility – in particular Edward I’s great siege of 1301 – meant the castle was never completed to its original plan. Yet, with its imposing donjon, it’s one of Scotland’s most impressive medieval strongholds standing today.
What to see and do
- Admire Bothwell’s dramatic location by a winding curve in the River Clyde
- Marvel at the 13th-century donjon, a circular keep tower that’s without parallel in Scotland
- Shudder at the grimness of medieval prisons as you take in the prison tower
- Step inside the 14th-century chapel, an impressive remnant of the days of the Black Douglases
- The adjacent semi-natural woodland is full of flowers in spring
- There is access to the Clyde Walkway
- Explore the castle with our fun fact-finding quiz.
