Description:

Another fascinating set of ruins! (I have a soft spot for bleak landscapes and old or crumbling buildings). Dirleton’s foundations date back to the early 13th century, once encircled by a deep 20-meter-wide moat and an ingenious movable wooden bridge. During the Wars of Independence, it stood firm for Wallace until Bishop Anthony Beck, acting for Edward I, laid siege. The castle fell when siege engines were brought in, but the Scots reclaimed it in 1311 after a fierce battle, ensuring it could never again serve the English. Its final chapter came in 1650, when Generals Monk and Lambert besieged it and forced the garrison’s surrender.