Jean

Hello,

I'm researching a trip to Scotland for June 2004 and would like to
stay in a castle in Scotland at least one night. I've searched the
archives here and based on old posts I'm leaning toward Borthwick. The
problem is, I've only got old posts (pre-1999, most of them) to go on,
so I was wondering if anyone had any recent experiences or
recommendations to share.

We (my father, a friend of ours who lives in London, and myself) will
take the train up to Edinburgh and stay there the night we arrive and
probably the next, then rent a car the following day to drive to
whatever castle we decide to stay at. Thus, recommendations about
sights to see within a day's drive from Edinburgh would be most
welcome, too.

Thanks for your help,
Jean

pighooey at mindspring dot com

Owain

"Jean" wrote
    | I'm researching a trip to Scotland for June 2004 and would like to
    | stay in a castle in Scotland at least one night. I've searched the
    | archives here and based on old posts I'm leaning toward Borthwick. The
    | problem is, I've only got old posts (pre-1999, most of them) to go on,
    | so I was wondering if anyone had any recent experiences or
    | recommendations to share.

Borthwick castle's homepage is at
http://www.celticcastles.com/castles...wic/index.html
and it listed at
http://www.castleuk.net/castle_lists...wickcastle.htm
and is the second item at
http://www.visitscotland.com/accommo...?view=Standard

If you are travelling further north (to Sutherland), Carbisdale Castle is a
Scottish Youth Hostel
http://www.syha.org.uk/pages/hostel-...carbisdale.htm
GBP 14.75 a night - a bit cheaper than Borthwick! It has a ghost, and its
own website at
http://www.carbisdale.org/index.htm

    | We (my father, a friend of ours who lives in London, and myself) will
    | take the train up to Edinburgh and stay there the night we arrive and
    | probably the next, then rent a car the following day to drive to
    | whatever castle we decide to stay at. Thus, recommendations about
    | sights to see within a day's drive from Edinburgh would be most
    | welcome, too.

Nearest to Borthwick Castle would probably be Vogrie Country Park
and Crichton Castle, both within 5 miles.

http://www.edinburgh.org/ for Edinburgh and Lothians
http://www.seeglasgow.com/ for Glasgow and Clyde Valley
http://www.scottish.heartlands.org/ for Argyll, Loch Lomond, Stirling and
Trossachs

should get you started with some sightseeing ideas. Any further questions
post back here.

Owain
www.stirlingcity.org.uk

Beeks919

Jean,

We stayed in 3 castles on our honeymoon in late 1999... Dalhousie, Airth, and
Borthwick. Borthwick was by far our favorite, from the "remote" setting and
the fabulous staff. Patricia, over-seer/operator, also the chef, gave us an
extensive tour of the castle. Dinner in the Great Hall was memorable.....!

In a fabulous twist of fate, a wedding party had booked the entire hotel, but
bumped the date up by one day. My wife and I were the only guests in the
entire castle for that one night. Very creepy, as they gave us a huge skeleton
key to the front door and told us no staff would be present after 2100 hours,
and to use the key to gain entry if we were out late. They claimed a
groundskeeper was located on the property should an emergency arise. I thought
of ringing him up just to be sure, but I thought if no one answered, my wife
would panic. So we enjoyed a romantic evening alone in a Scottish castle...!
And when I heard a door banging at 0300, I told my wife it was 0600, and it
must be the staff arriving....!

I recommend Borthwick.....! We had such a packed itinerary (and a 13 month
old) when we returned in 2001, and missed the chance to stay there. We were
bummed, but the locally-painted picture of Borthwick and the neighboring
church/graveyard hangs in our hallway as a constant reminder......! We will
definitely return..... no matter the cost, it was deifinitely worth every
£........
but beware the "Red Room"..! :P

It closes a few months out of the year... the previous link to their website
should provide all the info.... Enjoy..!

Dalhousie was a close second...... not as intimate though..... but still very
nice, with a great castle "feel".... And is Borthwick really a keep?

http://www.dalhousiecastle.co.uk/welcome.htm

Gary