Hotels near Craigmillar Castle

The Preston family began building here in the late 14th century and had the four-storey tower house standing by 1425. It measures 15.8 by 11.6 metres, with walls up to 3.3 metres thick, and unlike most Scottish ruins you can climb through nearly all of it: kitchens, a vaulted great hall, a prison pit and a wall-walk with a clear sightline back to the city. Mary, Queen of Scots stayed from 20 November to 7 December 1566, recovering from illness while her nobles drew up the Craigmillar Bond, the pact to be rid of her husband Lord Darnley.

For a Halloween trip the appeal is arithmetic: almost nobody comes. Craigmillar Castle has been in state care since 1946 and is run by Historic Environment Scotland as a conservation site rather than a marketed attraction, so on the last weekend of October you can have a 15th-century courtyard largely to yourself at the same hour The Real Mary King's Close is turning walk-ups away.

Be realistic about the hours. From 1 October the winter timetable applies, opening at 10:00 with last entry at 15:30 and gates shut at 16:00, so there is no dusk visit here and no atmospheric torchlit finish. Tickets are £7.50 for adults booked online against £8.50 at the gate, £4.50 for children aged 7 to 15 online, and £6.00 concession. One more caveat: the Northwest Gilmour Tower is currently closed as a precaution, so part of the upper circuit is off limits.

Pro Tip: Get off at the Craigmillar Castle Road stop on Peffermill Road and walk up through Little France Park rather than along Craigmillar Castle Road itself, which has no pavement. Allow 12 to 15 minutes, buy the £7.50 online rate the night before, and arrive by 14:00 to get a full hour inside before last entry at 15:30.