This is – Scotland cinematic travel video, tourism documentary film, drone 4k. Top 6 Scottish Castles.

Scotland’s turbulent history made its lairds and kings alike seek safety in the stone walls of impregnable fortresses. Today, its castles are one of its top attractions; more than five hundred remain, though it’s estimated there may originally have been more than 2,000. They vary in character from ruins in the rocky wilderness, to well-appointed stately homes, and from extensive royal palaces to small tower houses.

Edinburgh Castle benefits from a magnificent situation, atop an extinct volcano overlooking the Scottish lowlands and the Firth of Forth. Its attractions include the delightful St Margaret’s Chapel, Edinburgh’s oldest building, as well as the Honours of Scotland (the Scottish crown jewels), and the famous ancient siege gun Mons Meg. If you visit, make sure you’re there for the firing of the one o’clock gun, intended as a time signal for ships in the firth.

Stirling Castle was the chief residence of the Stewart kings. It was defensive, on a hill surrounded by steep cliffs on three sides, but under James IV and James V, it became a Renaissance palace borrowing influences from France and Germany, as well as England. The royal apartments have been recently restored to their original splendor, with fine tapestries and painted ceilings.

Tantallon is very different from either of the royal castles; it’s a semi-ruined fourteenth-century building, on a headland with dramatic plunging sea cliffs. It’s only thirty miles or so from Edinburgh, but it’s a completely different world, particularly when the weather is stormy.

Drumlanrig shows the genteel type of Scottish castle to perfection. Its gentle pink sandstone and Renaissance style give it an elegance few other castles can match, and its interiors are equally splendid. It’s still home to the Duke of Buccleuch and Queensberry, whose art collection includes works by Rembrandt and Leonardo; fortunately, the Duke opens the castle to the public on a regular basis.

Dunrobin is a French style turreted castle and quite a recent building as castles go; it was designed by Sir Charles Barry, the Victorian architect better known for his work on the Houses of Parliament in London. The interior is luxurious, and the extensive gardens are planned on the French style, with parterres set around circular pools and fountains.

Dunnottar, near Stonehaven, is one of Scotland’s wildest castles. The ruined castle walls surmount a grass-covered rock in the North Sea, linked to the coast only by a thin strip of land. It’s an adventure even getting there.