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Scotland’s castles have been standing for hundreds of years. They have survived wars, fires and lots of bad weather.

We don’t need castles to keep safe in anymore but they are used in other ways.

In this article you can find out:

  • How castles in Scotland are used today
  • How castles have become tourist destinations
  • Examples of castles you can visit in Scotland

This resource is suitable for Landscapes topics for P2, P3, P4, P5, P6 and P7 (First and Second Level Curriculum for Excellence).

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Find out how castles are used today.

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What are castles used for today?

Image gallerySkip image gallerySlide 1 of 4, The Black Watch castle and museum, Tourist attractions and museums Nowadays many castles are open to the public as tourist attractions and museums. Balhousie Castle in Perth is a museum which tells the story of the Black Watch Regiment from 1725.
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What do castles look like today?

Image gallerySkip image gallerySlide 1 of 3, St Andrews Castle, Many castles have been left in ruins Not all castles survived war, attacks and years of bad weather. Castles like St Andrews Castle in Fife (above) have become ruins. We can still tell a lot about the original building from what has been left behind.
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Kildrummy Castle

In the video at the top of the page, we learned that people come from all around the world to visit Scotland's castles.

With help from Lumsden Primary School, let's find out more about one of Scotland's many castles: Kildrummy Castle in Aberdeenshire.

Lumsden School in Aberdeenshire worked with The LAB and Historic Environment Scotland in making this short film about Kildrummy, their local castle.

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Test your knowledge

Challenge

Create a poster about a castle near you

There are thousands of castles in Scotland. Research a castle in your local area and create a poster advertising it to visitors.

Questions to think about:

  • Where is the castle?
  • What does the castle look like?
  • How is the castle used today?
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More on Castles

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