Description:

Tinnis Castle stood on the site of an Iron Age fortress and served as a late medieval stronghold. Three sides dropped steeply to the valley floor, and the only way in was a winding path exposed to defending archers. It was home to the Tweedies, a formidable family reputed for their aggression and extortion toward anyone nearing their lands. In the 16th century, Malcolm, 3rd Lord Fleming, destroyed the castle with gunpowder during a long-running feud with the Tweedies. The blast was so powerful that large chunks of masonry, still held together by cement, were flung into the valley, where they remain to this day.