Auldhame Castle

Auldhame Castle is a stone fortress ruin perched on a ridge overlooking the sea, built as a three-story tower with an adjoining staircase tower attached to its side. The remains reveal a vaulted basement that once served as a kitchen, complete with traces of a bread oven used to feed those living within.

The fortress was built in the 1500s by Adam Otterburn, a powerful Scottish official from Edinburgh who commanded significant regional influence. During the English Civil War around 1650, the structure sustained damage that eventually led to its abandonment.

The ruins stand beside a burial ground that marks the location of an ancient chapel, showing how this coastal site held spiritual importance long before the castle was built. Walking through the area reveals layers of how people have used this place across different centuries.

The site is located on a coastal area with open access, allowing visitors to view the structure from the surrounding grounds and get a clear sense of its position above the sea. Several other castle ruins lie within reasonable reach, making this part of the coast ideal for exploring multiple historic sites in one trip.

Hundreds of skeletal remains were discovered during excavations at the cemetery grounds, revealing a burial site from the early medieval period with remarkable archaeological findings. Stories of ships lured onto nearby rocks by local tricks inspired a famous writer to create tales about this dangerous coastline.

Location: East Lothian

GPS coordinates: 56.05280,-2.64010

Latest update: December 9, 2025 12:24