The Ramblings and Photos of a recycled teenager!!: Visit to and Review of Hailes Castle, East Lothian

As with Dirleton Castle, Hailes Castle is only a few miles from where I stay but I have never visited before! It’s just one of those things – you never seem to visit the interesting places that are on your own doorstep!

So, on a lovely sunny day recently, my husband and I took ourselves off to visit Dirleton Castle then Hailes Castle. It’s not too difficult to find, but it is quite hidden in a dip and surrounded by trees. The road to get to it is a single track and there are not too many passing places! When you get to the castle, which is a ruin and unmanned, you can park outside the entrance, but there’s only space for around three vehicles. As it was a sunny day when we were there, it was actually quite busy and we found it difficult to get our car parked off the road, but we eventually found a spot a short distance away.

Although unmanned with free entry, the grounds are well kept and the gardeners were doing some grass cutting at the time we were visiting.

I was surprised to find that the castle stands on the banks of the River Tyne, but you can’t really see that until you walk into the grounds of the castle. It was so tranquil and families were enjoying picnics on the banks of the river and within the castle grounds. There were also lots of swallows flying around and I could see many swallow chicks in their nests actually inside the castle building.

This castle really is a hidden gem and is well worth a visit, especially on a gloriously sunny day when you could take a picnic with you (be aware though that there are no toilet facilities).

Here are some photos - it's well worth a visit, especially on a lovely summer's day.