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Flickr / CC BY 2.0
Craigmillar sits close enough to see Edinburgh, but far enough away to show a different kind of power: a fortified noble residence on the edge of the capital.
For me, Craigmillar is one of the best castle visits in the Edinburgh area. It feels substantial enough to explore properly but still lets you understand how the place grew. The Mary, Queen of Scots connections are excellent, but I also like what the views do. They put you close to the capital while reminding you that this was a different sort of residence, on the edge rather than at the centre.
The castle began with a late-fourteenth-century tower house and grew over generations as the Preston family added walls, domestic buildings, a chapel and more comfortable accommodation. Mary, Queen of Scots used Craigmillar as a retreat in 1566, placing the castle close to the political tensions surrounding her reign without making it a royal palace. Craigmillar also preserves gardens, parkland and the remains of a deliberately shaped estate close to the city. It was connected to Edinburgh without being swallowed by it.
The central tower house is the oldest core, with later walls, chambers and courtyards gathered around it. The building makes more sense as a place that grew rather than one conceived all at once. Gunloops, chapel remains and traces of the grounds show defence, domestic life and estate design occupying the same complex. From the higher parts, Holyrood Park and Edinburgh Castle sit back across the city, making Craigmillar's useful distance from the political centre immediately clear.
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