Doune Castle

About this place

Doune Castle stands where the Ardoch Burn meets the River Teith, near the village of Doune in Stirling.

It was built in the late 14th century as the stronghold of Robert Stewart, Duke of Albany, who served as Regent of Scotland.

The great hall and courtyard survive largely intact from his time, giving a rare sense of a single medieval builder's vision.

Historic Environment Scotland cares for the castle today, and visitors can walk the grounds along the river towards the Menteith Hills.

History

The site was first fortified in the 13th century and damaged during the Wars of Independence before Robert Stewart, Duke of Albany, rebuilt it in its present form in the late 14th century. It passed to the crown in 1425 after his son's execution, later became a royal hunting lodge, and by the later 16th century belonged to the Earls of Moray. The castle saw fighting in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms and the Jacobite risings, fell into ruin by 1800, and was restored in the 1880s before entering state care.

Architecture

Doune is a medieval courtyard castle, unusual for surviving largely as built in one late 14th-century campaign, with a great hall, private lord's hall, and kitchen tower still intact around the courtyard.

Worth knowing

The castle has appeared in Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Game of Thrones and Outlander.

Gardens & grounds

The grounds include a woodland walk along the Ardoch Burn.