Kildrummy Castle

PricingHalf price in your first year of English Heritage membership, then freeEH memberHalf, then freeNon-member£8.50

EH members: half price, then freeInfo

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.

Pre-booking is recommended at Edinburgh Castle, Skara Brae, Stirling Castle, Blackness Castle, Urquhart Castle, Doune Castle and Maeshowe. Bookings are limited to six people per membership.
Bring the card itself: joint and family memberships admit the named holders only.
Historic Scotland does not offer reciprocal admission to National Trust properties, and a National Trust card is not accepted here.

More information

Entry

Non-member prices

Adult (aged 16 to 64)£8.50

Child (aged 7 to 15)£5.00

Concession (aged 65 and over)£6.80

Pricing details

In-person price; £7.50 booked online. One undated price table is published for the April to September season; recheck on reopening in 2027. Children under 7 free but need a ticket; up to two carers free per transaction; Young Scot card holders pay £1 online. Explorer Pass accepted in summer. No 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 on Historic Scotland's page, which gives £4.50 online; the webstore sells the child ticket at £3.50 online, so the page's child row may be out of date. 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.

ParkingFree parkingFree for all visitors

No charge for anyone.

Parking details

Historic Scotland says there is free car parking 250 metres from the castle; the car park is level gravel and coach parking is available. Visitors report that staff lock the car park gate at closing time.

Driving pin: the car park and ticket office by the visitor centre, 252 m from HES's pin. Navigating to the castle itself leads to the wrong entrance, visitors warn, so use the car park. The castle is on the A97 about 36 miles west of Aberdeen; Historic Scotland names no bus service, only its journey planners, and lists a bicycle rack.

About

Kildrummy Castle was built in the mid-1200s as the stronghold of the Earls of Mar, high on a hillside above the deep ravine of the Back Den in the foothills of the Grampians, and Historic Scotland calls it the noblest of northern castles. It is one of the most extensive 13th-century fortresses to survive in eastern Scotland, a great courtyard castle whose scale echoes the Château de Coucy in France, and it is drawn in detail on the 14th-century Gough Map. In 1306 Neil Bruce, brother of Robert the Bruce, defended it fiercely before it fell to the future Edward II. The Jacobite rising of 1715 began here, and when the 22nd Earl of Mar fled into exile the castle was abandoned and quarried for stone. Today the three tall lancet windows of the chapel dominate the ruins. Visitors find it peaceful and often almost empty, with good information boards and picnic benches behind the castle.

ClosedPick a day for times and prices

Until 31 Mar: Closed
From 1 Apr: Wed–Sun 10:00–16:30, last entry 16:00

Today, Saturday 24 October

Kildrummy CastleClosed

Opening times may change at short notice.

1 April to 30 September Wednesday to Sunday 10am to 4.30pm, closed Mondays and Tuesdays; closed for lunch 12.30pm to 1.30pm; last entry 30 minutes before closing; closed 1 October to 31 March. Historic Scotland recommends booking an entry slot in advance to guarantee entry. No works notice on 18 October 2026.

The castle is 250 m from the visitor centre up a gently sloping gravel path, and the visitor centre has step-free access. The castle is at ground level with some stone thresholds and obstacles; the courtyard is cobbled with cut grass, and most rooms, including the gatehouse, great hall, chapel and bakehouse, have deep gravel. Toilets, a shop and a picnic area on site; Historic Scotland's page names an adapted toilet at Asda, Steven Road (AB54 8SX, in Huntly) while also listing accessible toilets, so check before relying on one. No cafe or audio guide. Dogs on leads in the outdoor areas.

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 in the visitor centre and shop. The site is open only 1 April to 30 September.

Photo: Kildrummy Castle's gatehouse bridge leading into the ruined courtyard and towers under a stormy sky. Neil Williamson, CC BY-SA 3.0. Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kildrummy_Castle_-_panoramio.jpg. Licence: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0. Resized and cropped for display; derivatives retain the source licence.