Description:

Yester Castle lies southeast of Gifford, toward Quarryford, hidden among the trees. Built in 1267 by Sir Hugo Gifford, known as the “Wizard of Yester,” it is steeped in legend. Sir Hugo, believed to be a powerful warlock and necromancer, was said to practice his sorcery in the castle’s undercroft. Chronicler Walter Bower wrote of a vast cavern there, thought by locals to have been formed by magic. Legend claims Hugo, through a pact with the Devil, summoned a magical army of hobgoblins to build the castle. During the early 14th-century Wars of Independence, both English and Scots sought control of it. Now in ruins, with only a section of curtain wall above ground, the underground hall—‘Goblin Ha’—remains largely intact and awe-inspiring. Sadly, after vandalism in autumn 2021, the site has been closed to the public indefinitely.