Half price, then free, for English Heritage members
This place is cared for by Historic Environment Scotland. First-year English Heritage members get 50% off the ticket price; members who have renewed get in free. Bring your valid membership card, and any pre-booked tickets, to ensure entry.
More information
Reduced price while conservation works continue; Historic Scotland publishes a single price, the same online and at the gate. One undated price table is published; recheck when the works end and in spring 2027. Children under 7 free but need a ticket; up to two carers free per transaction; Young Scot and National Entitlement Card holders pay £1. Explorer Pass accepted. No family ticket, joint ticket or audio guide. English Heritage members: half price in your first membership year and free after your first renewal, on showing a valid card; bookings capped at six people per membership. Historic Scotland members free.
Single published price, reduced during the works; under-7s free with a ticket. English Heritage members: half price in your first membership year and free after your first renewal, on showing a valid card; bookings capped at six people per membership. Historic Scotland members free.
Single published price, reduced during the works. English Heritage members: half price in your first membership year and free after your first renewal, on showing a valid card; bookings capped at six people per membership. Historic Scotland members free.
The Trust's page does not say how parking is charged.
Historic Scotland says there is a small car park around 160 m from the castle entrance, level and tarmac with accessible bays, and designated parking for larger vehicles on a first come, first served basis; visitors can be dropped off at the castle entrance by arranging it in advance on 0131 651 6758. No charge or free statement is published, so the status is recorded as unknown; Google lists free parking.
Driving pin: the 13-space car park mapped on OpenStreetMap at the end of Castle Avenue, 111 m from HES's pin. By rail: a 30 minute walk (or 5 minute drive) south from Uddingston station via Main Street and Castle Avenue; visitors also follow the riverside path from Uddingston.
Bothwell Castle stands above a winding curve of the River Clyde near Uddingston, a vast castle of enclosure covering 1.5 acres, begun in the late 1200s by Walter of Moray or his son William the Rich as a display of power. Its circular donjon, 20 m across and over 30 m tall, was one of the greatest stone buildings of medieval Scotland. In August 1301 Edward I besieged it with 6,800 men and a great siege tower hauled from Glasgow, and the garrison surrendered within the month; war meant the castle was never finished to plan. Partly dismantled after its last siege in 1337, it was rebuilt from 1362 by Joanna Moray and her husband Archibald the Grim, whose great hall and chapel still stand. The main tower, south-east tower and great hall are closed during conservation work, but the courtyard, walls and red sandstone ruins impress, and visitors enjoy picnics in the grounds and woodland walks along the Clyde.
The castle will close at 2.30pm, with last admission at 2pm, on Wednesday 28 October,
Later dates are in the calendar.
1 April to 30 September Tuesday to Saturday 9.30am to 5pm, closed Sunday and Monday; 1 October to 31 March Saturday to Wednesday 10am to 4pm, closed Thursday and Friday; lunch closure 12.30pm to 1.30pm; last entry 30 minutes before closing; closed 25 December to 5 January. Historic Scotland recommends booking an entry slot in advance. Notice on 18 October 2026: 'Visitors can explore much of the castle and enjoy the surrounding grounds and views, but the main tower, south-east tower and great hall are currently closed to visitors.'
The castle is about 160 m from the car park along a level grass and concrete path; the ticket office and shop are step-free and a paved path (gradient 1:13) runs along two sides of the grassed courtyard; the donjon has an uneven 50-step spiral with a rope handrail, the great hall a 21-step timber stair and the cellar exhibition six uneven steps down; the grounds are grassy slopes. Toilets on site; the nearest adapted toilet is at Tesco, Bothwell Road, Uddingston; shop, picnic area, no cafe or audio guide. Dogs on leads in the outdoor areas; the woodland around the castle is open without a ticket.
Dogs: Dogs are welcome in the outdoor areas on a lead; HES's general guidance excludes them from visitor centres and roofed areas, so not the ticket office and shop. The courtyard and grounds are outdoor areas, on a lead; the woodland round the castle is open without a ticket.
Photo: Bothwell Castle's red sandstone curtain walls and the ruined donjon across a sunlit lawn. Rosser1954, CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bothwell_Castle,_Uddingston,_South_Lanarkshire,_Scotland.jpg. Licence: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0. Resized and cropped for display; derivatives retain the source licence.
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Dog access not confirmed
65 km route from Glasgow city centre to New Lanark whose highlights include 'Bothwell Castle & David Livingston Centre'; join it from the castle woodland by the river; good bus and train links, not all sections suit every user. Free.
