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
In-person price; £7.50 booked online. One undated price table is published; recheck in spring 2027. Children under 7 free but need a ticket; up to two carers free per transaction; Young Scot card holders pay £1 online; 25 per cent off with code GOOD25 for car-free visitors booking online. 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.
In-person price; £3.50 booked online; 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.
In-person price; £6 booked online. 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 on-site parking is available at the castle, including three blue badge spaces near the visitor centre and coach bays at the rear, in a level tarmac car park next to the site entrance. No charge or free statement is published, so the status is recorded as unknown.
Driving pin: the car park mapped on OpenStreetMap beside the castle picnic site, 87 m west of HES's pin; on foot, follow Castle Street from the Square past the Gordon School, football ground and golf club. By rail: regular trains from Inverness (1 hour) and Aberdeen (1 hour 20 minutes), the station about 1 mile away. By bus: services 10 and 10A between Aberdeen and Inverness stop at the Square. By bike: 19 miles from National Cycle Network Route 1 at Turriff, parking for four bikes; 25 per cent off online with code GOOD25 when arriving car-free.
Huntly Castle stands where the rivers Bogie and Deveron meet, a short walk from the Square in Huntly. The earls of Fife raised the first castle here, the Peel of Strathbogie, around 1190, and its motte survives as a grassy mound. After Bannockburn Robert the Bruce granted Strathbogie to Sir Adam Gordon, and the Gordons, later earls of Huntly, made the north-east Gordon country. Their palace, begun about 1450 and remodelled by the 4th Earl, the Cock o' the North, was given a striking, French-inspired makeover around 1602 by the 1st Marquis of Huntly, who added the great round tower, double-height oriel windows, a magnificent heraldic frontispiece over the door and a roofline inscription proclaiming the family's ownership. Inside, the lodgings of the marquis and marchioness keep their carved heraldic fireplaces, and the remains trace the castle from motte and bailey to Jacobean palace. Visitors praise the knowledgeable staff and the quiet green setting; children can try a fact-finding quiz in English and Doric.
The castle will be closed from Thursday 1 October to Monday 30 November.
The castle will be closed from Thursday 1 October to Monday 30 November.
1 April to 30 September daily 10am to 4.30pm, last entry 1 hour before closing; 1 December to 31 March Saturday to Wednesday 10am to 3.30pm, closed Thursday and Friday, last entry 45 minutes before closing; closed 1 October to 30 November and 24 December to 4 January. Historic Scotland recommends booking in advance. Notices on 18 October 2026: 'The castle will be closed from Thursday 1 October to Monday 30 November.' 'The round tower is currently closed, but the majority of the site remains accessible with plenty to see.' 'There are no public toilets at Huntly Castle at present, after they were damaged during a storm.'
The main entrance is up an 8 m ramp (1:12); the outer buildings are at ground level with some steps, ramps, gravel and cobbles; inside, stairs with handrails lead to the kitchen, 25 stone steps down to the basement and 10 more to the prison, 13 wide steps to the ground floor, then 26 stone and 33 wooden steps to the upper floors; a narrow 92-step spiral climbs the round tower (currently closed). The shop is step-free. No toilets on site at present; the nearest accessible toilet is at Asda on Steven Road. Visitor centre and shop, picnic area, no cafe or audio guide. Dogs on leads outdoors, not in roofed areas.
Dogs: Dogs are allowed on a lead at all times but not in roofed areas, so not the shop or the roofed palace rooms; never left unattended. The open courtyard, outer buildings and grounds, on a lead, with a ticket.
Photo: Huntly Castle's great round tower and palace block with their oriel windows and carved inscription, seen across the lawns. Rosser1954, CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Huntly_Castle,_Aberdeenshire._The_16th_century_section.jpg. Licence: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0. Resized and cropped for display; derivatives retain the source licence.
No reviews yet
No reviews yet. Be the first to share your experience!
Dog access not confirmed
5.1 km route from the town along the castle avenue to Huntly Castle, over Castle Bridge past Huntly Lodge and back by the Deveron. Free public paths; the castle is ticketed.
Dog access not confirmed
3.9 km loop from the town past the castle and along the River Deveron by the Nordic Ski Centre. Free public paths.
