🏰 COMPLETE CASTLE GUIDE

Craigmillar Castle — The Refuge of Mary Queen of Scots

Just three miles south-east of Edinburgh Castle stands what locals call the city’s ‘other castle’ — a rural retreat once favoured by Scottish nobility escaping the political cauldron of the capital. Craigmillar Castle is best remembered as a refuge for Mary Queen of Scots, who stayed here twice, recovering from illness and heartbreak. It was during her second visit in 1566 that a group of her own lords secretly agreed the ‘Craigmillar Bond’ — a pact whose consequences would upend the queen’s reign within the year.

Craigmillar Castle stands on a low hill three miles south-east of Edinburgh city centre, in Midlothian. Building began in the late 14th century under the Preston family, with the tower house among the oldest of its type in Scotland. Mary Queen of Scots stayed at Craigmillar in September 1563 and again in November-December 1566, recovering from illness after the birth of her son, the future James VI. It was during this second stay that conspiring lords formed the ‘Craigmillar Bond’, a pact linked to the murder of her husband Lord Darnley the following year. The castle was abandoned by the Gilmour family in the early 18th century and passed into state care in 1949. Managed today by Historic Environment Scotland.

⚡ QUICK FACTS

📍 LOCATION

Craigmillar, Edinburgh
EH16 4SY · 3 miles SE of city centre

🎫 ADMISSION

Adults ~£6.50 · booking online recommended
Historic Scotland members free

🕒 OPENING HOURS

Apr-Sep: daily 9:30am-4:30pm
Oct-Mar: daily 10am-3:30pm

🗺️ GETTING THERE

Bus from Edinburgh city centre
Or 15 min drive from Old Town

⏰ TIME NEEDED

1–1.5 hours · Tower house,
courtyard and Queen Mary's Room

🏰 OWNERSHIP

Historic Environment Scotland
One of Scotland's best-preserved medieval castles

🏰 HISTORY — EDINBURGH'S QUIET RETREAT

📜 A Rural Escape from the Capital

Craigmillar Castle began as a tower house built by the Preston family in the late 14th century, among the oldest of its type in Scotland. Just three miles from Edinburgh Castle yet pleasantly separate from the city's political turmoil, Craigmillar became a favoured retreat for Scottish nobility — close enough for business, far enough for peace, and a useful bolt-hole during the plague outbreaks that periodically swept the capital.

👑 A Refuge for a Troubled Queen

Mary Queen of Scots stayed at Craigmillar on at least two occasions: first in September 1563, meeting the English ambassador during her visit, and again from 20 November to 7 December 1566, recovering from a serious illness following the birth of her son, the future James VI. Her loyal supporter Sir Simon Preston hosted her both times — though within a year he would become her jailer for her first night as a prisoner after her capture in 1567.

🕵️ The Craigmillar Bond

It was during Mary's second stay that a group of her own lords — including the Earl of Bothwell, who would later become her third husband — secretly agreed a pact known as the 'Craigmillar Bond': a plan to remove her deeply unpopular husband, Lord Darnley. Whether Mary knew of the plot remains debated by historians to this day. Darnley was murdered at Kirk o' Field the following year, an event that would ultimately cost Mary her throne.

👀 WHAT TO SEE

👑 Queen Mary's Room & the Tower House

Climb one of Scotland's oldest surviving tower houses to see the great hall, prison, and 'Queen Mary's Room' — a converted former kitchen where the queen is traditionally said to have slept, though historians now believe she more likely stayed in a larger apartment in the east range. From the battlements, spot Edinburgh Castle and Holyrood Park across the city skyline.

🌳 The Grounds & the 'P' Fishpond

Explore the well-preserved 15th-century courtyard wall with its distinctive inverted-keyhole gunholes, and look for the curious remains of a fishpond laid out in the shape of a letter 'P' — for Preston, the family who built the castle. Two ancient yew trees are said to have been planted in Queen Mary's honour during her stay.

🚗 GETTING THERE & VISITOR INFORMATION

🚗 By Car & Bus

Craigmillar Castle lies three miles south-east of Edinburgh city centre, easily reached by bus or a short drive from the Old Town. Its accessible location makes it one of the simplest castle guides on this list to combine with a day exploring Edinburgh itself.

🙌 Visitor Tips

Booking online in advance is recommended to guarantee entry. The site is genuinely quiet compared to Edinburgh Castle, making it a peaceful alternative for visitors wanting real medieval atmosphere without the crowds — the great hall is even a popular wedding venue today, a fittingly romantic echo of its royal history.