Dumbarton Castle

Last weekend my friend Brittany and I took a quick trip over to Dumbarton Castle! We took a quick train ride west to Dumbarton, then walked over to the castle from the train station. Luckily, it was an absolutely gorgeous clear and sunny day! We got some pictures at the entrance to the castle before our tour started.

Our tour consisted of the two of us, three other people, and the docent. Upon arriving at the castle, you are faced with the enormous ancient volcanic rock formation which the castle is build upon. The current entrance to the castle is actually on the opposite side of the rock from the original entrance. The castle gate and manor house were built on this side facing the water once sea warfare became more prominent, as the original entrance faced the land. We then walked up a couple different stairways to the old gatehouse, which currently houses a small exhibit.

Up the stairs from the gatehouse is an archway, which is the oldest and most intact piece of the original castle still left. You can even still see some of the craftsmanship marks in the stone, as well as where the iron gate would have been in the arch!

Up past the archway is a little plateau where most of the buildings of the castles would have been. Currently the only fully intact structure is the French Prison, which housed French soldiers during the Napoleonic Wars. However, we weren't allowed to go inside as it is in need of repairs to the roof and not safe for visitors. Right next to the prison is some of the remains of the original castle, in which you can see the outline of a prison on the lower floor, which is believed to be where William Wallace was imprisoned after his capture. From the ramparts of these remnants you can look over the town of Dumbarton, and on a clear day such as ours, you can even see Ben Lomond (the tallest mountain in the middle picture)!

From there we went up some more to the magazine where the gunpowder was stored for artillery. The architecture is amazing, and even withstood blasts as recently as WWII, where it stood strong during the airstrikes of the Clydebank Blitz. We then went back down to the archway, where another staircase led us up to the highest point of the castle. Currently, there is only a small wall remaining, but it believed to have been some sort of lookout tower. Either way, the views from up there are amazing!

Though most of the remaining structures are from the 17th and 18th centuries, the history of this castles goes back much further, having one of the longest recorded histories of any Scottish stronghold dating back to the 5th century. It has been the residence of many Scottish royals, most notably Mary, Queen of Scots before her departure to France, and Robert the Bruce.

If you were wondering, there are around 580 steps in the castle!