Dalhousie Castle: Stay in a castle only 30 minutes outside of Edinburgh

Did you know that there’s an 800-year-old castle that you can STAY at only 30 minutes outside of Edinburgh?

I can’t believe that I hadn’t known this existed when I used to live in Scotland’s capital city.

Dalhousie Castle is definitely a hotel you need to add to your Scotland bucket list.

And I personally think we really lucked out visiting during the autumn. The red ivy creeping along the castle walls was so enchanting and the red and orange leaves changing on the trees was so beautiful.

Of course, being the autumn, we also got plenty of rain too!

I’m glad I got a little peek of sunshine for a few photos and videos. But moody weather is genuinely perfect for a cosy castle stay!

Shall we have a little peek at what you can expect from a visit to Dalhousie Castle?

You literally can stay in an 800 year old Scottish Castle!

I absolutely love that we can stay in castles like this today. What once existed as something so many of us would never have the chance to explore… now? It’s totally possible.

With over 800 years of history, Dalhousie Castle is brimming with stories to tell. The castle itself was originally built in the 13th century, which by the way, according to their website, was the same era as Genghis Khan and the Magna Carta! Putting that into perspective feels wild.

The castle that you can see and stay in today took shape around 1450, built from the red stone quarried across the South Esk River.

And lucky for us?! It’s only a 30 minute drive from Edinburgh.

It literally could not be easier to plan a castle stay at Dalhousie Castle for your next visit to Edinburgh!

Now… which room to stay in?

We stayed in the Castle Suite, complete with a stunning dark wooden four-poster bed as well as a little lounge area with a plush red velvet sofa and soft cushions.

Truly, how magical is it hanging out in the castle turret?!

And there are soooo many rooms to choose from! So even if a castle suite might not be available for your dates, they have plenty of rooms to explore, starting with prices from £198 per night.

Don’t miss the hidden whisky bar!

Like any good castle…. there’s a secret room!

Located in the library, you’ll find the Dalhousie Castle secret room.

And this is one that guests won’t want to miss! It’s filled with endless whiskies available to try! 

It’s a really neat place to explore, make sure to check in at the bar and they’ll open up a whisky for you. And help you out with selecting the perfect one.

Curl up with a good book or game in the library

I know the secret room holds a TON of appeal, but honestly? I personally loved hanging out with a drink in the library itself. You’ll find plenty of books to tuck into from the shelves or bring your own.

It’s a really beautiful decadent space to spend the day with your head in a good book.

And if not the library? There are so many great spaces within the castle to spend your day and evenings in, I wish we’d had longer, I would have curled up with a book all day here!

Would you brave dinner in the Dungeon Restaurant?

I absooooolutely would! You can have dinner in the dungeon, how cool is that?!

Sadly, we didn’t get to on this occasion as they are only open at the weekends (good to remember for future planning!) But we did take a peek inside and the decor is so cool.

You’ll find the stone walls, candlelights, swords adorning the walls and even suits of armour!

The Dungeon Restaurant is one we absolutely need to go back to on the weekend!

A must is dinner at Ramsay Restaurant

We may not have dined in the dungeons… but we had the best dinner at the Ramsay Restaurant.

The food is absolutely phenomenal. We were recommended a few amazing dishes by our lovely waitress Kim!

We started with the Hand Dived Orkney Scallop, Seaweed Emulsion & Sea Vegetables. I cannot explain how good this was!

And she also recommend that we try the sharing Chateaubriand. It was one of the best steaks we’ve had! Complete with Thyme Roasted Tomato, Field Mushroom and Served with Rosemary Steak Chips and a selection of steak sauces to choose from. I’m a Peppercorn Sauce girlie, but we tried the Glenkinchie Whisky Sauce too and I am officially converted!

Honestly, our meal was perfect.

I know I’ve mentioned both Ramsay Restaurant and the Dungeon Restaurant, which is why I’d really recommend staying for two nights at Dalhousie Castle.

Or perhaps one night and having to simply.. return again! (AKA me to me, because I need to try the Dungeon next!)

Once you arrive at Dalhousie Castle, you seriously don’t need to leave until check-out! 

Try your hand at Archery or experience the castle’s Falconry

You can even try your hand at archery at the castle too.

We were in-between so many pockets of rain during our stay (excellent for cosying up inside!) but next time I’d love to have a big wander around the grounds and try my hand at a round of archery. Interesting fact? I’ve done archery before and I truly love it! So this is another one for our next visit for sure.

And those who are more inclined towards a chance to get up close and personal with birds of prey? Falconry!

Experienced falconers at the castle create a hands-on experience for guests to learn all about falconry.

I truly cannot wait until our next visit!

Until next time!

Kelly xoxo