Peel Ring of Lumphanan

PricingFreeFree for all visitors

Free entry for everyone

Entry

Free for everyone

Pricing details

Free entry for everyone; no membership card is needed.

ParkingParking not known

The Trust's page does not say how parking is charged.

Parking details

Historic Scotland says parking is available but publishes no charge or free statement, so the status is recorded as unknown. Reviewers park a few cars in front of the entrance at the end of a short farm track off the road.

Driving pin: Historic Scotland's own pin on the mound, as the parking spot is not mapped; the farm track runs north from the road just east of the site. The Peel Ring is 0.5 mile south west of Lumphanan off the A980. Historic Scotland gives journey planners only.

About

The Peel Ring of Lumphanan, half a mile south-west of the village near Banchory, is an early castle of earth and timber and one of only a few with a water-filled moat. It was built in the 1200s by the Durwards, a family from Angus who took a great estate between the Dee and the Don and were hereditary doorkeepers to the royal household. On 21 July 1296 Edward I stopped here on his way north to accept the surrender of Sir John de Melville, and the castle was abandoned soon after. In the 1480s a two-storey house was built on the summit, and its foundations are still visible. It was long thought to be Macbeth's stronghold, and the state took it into care in 1957, 900 years after his death, but excavation showed it was built about two centuries later. Reviewers enjoy a quiet walk round the mound; there is space for a few cars at the end of a short farm track.

Check today’s timesSee all times

Peel Ring of LumphananOpen at all times; an unstaffed open site, no hours published

Opening times may change at short notice.

Historic Scotland: 'Peel Ring of Lumphanan is free to visit and open year-round.' No hours or notices on 20 October 2026.

A grassy castle mound inside a ditch that can be wet, with the low foundations of a later house on top; Historic Scotland recommends strong footwear. No toilets or other facilities.

Photo: The grassy castle mound of the Peel Ring of Lumphanan rising above its reedy ditch, with fields and forestry under a blue sky. Colin Smith, CC BY-SA 2.0. Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Peel_Bog_of_Lumphanan_Castle_-_geograph.org.uk_-_3148227.jpg. Licence: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0. Resized and cropped for display; derivatives retain the source licence.