Fatlips Castle: Grey stone tower house on top of a hill, very few windows. A single tree in foreground.
“Hidden Histories of the Scottish Borders” is a podcast series of bite-sized episodes, looking at the stories behind some of the region’s castles, peel towers, abbeys and ruins. You can find it on Apple, Spotify and other popular podcast platforms.
Flodden Wall, Edinburgh. Erected to protect the city after the Scots' defeat by the English at the 1513 Battle of Flodden Field. This section is in Greyfriars Kirkyard where it is embedded with memorials.
#WallsOnWednesday
Built in 1582, Buckholm Tower endured the dangerous decades of the Border Reivers and witnessed the turbulent times following the restoration of the monarchy in 1660. thistleandtime.scot/2026/02/11/b...
Ruined castle, with round tower extending from the right.
James Douglas, the 4th Earl of Morton and Regent of Scotland, began building Drochil Castle in 1578. But three years later, he was dead, executed in 1581 by the Maiden, a type of Scottish guillotine that he is believed to have introduced.
For centuries, Branxholme Castle was one of the most formidable power centres in the Scottish Borders. A place where law and lawlessness overlapped, and where one family rose from frontier violence to the highest ranks of the Scottish nobility.
thistleandtime.scot/2026/01/27/h...
The remains of the bathhouse at Bar Hill Roman Fort on the Antonine Wall, near Twechar in East Dunbartonshire. The fort is the highest of the 16 known forts on the wall. 📸 My own. #RomanFortThursday #RomanBritain #BarHill
Craigievar Castle first received its distinctive colour back in 1824 when the original cream coloured lime harling was replaced with a pink harling.
thistleandtime.scot/2026/01/13/e...
Drone shot of ruined tower,showing incomplete and overgrown jagged walls, set in grassy clearing.
Cardrona Tower sits in a small clearing among the dense trees of Cardona Forest, high above the River Tweed. It is featured in the podcast series, “Hidden Histories of the Scottish Borders” available on all main platforms.
Callanish 2 , sunset yesterday #StandingStoneSunday
The image shows Cawdor Castle from its front, with an open gateway and two-storey ranges either side. Beyond the gateway is the main keep, rising to four storeys, topped by battlements and turrets. There is a lawn in the foreground at the bottom of the frame. The castle is in sunshine though there are clouds behind it.
The imposing Cawdor Castle south-west of Nairn, traditional home of the Thanes of Cawdor. According to tradition it was built from 1370 around a hawthorn tree whose trunk can still be seen in the castle cellars. More pics and info: www.undiscoveredscot...
#Scotland #CawdorCastle #Nairn
Melrose Abbey is one of Scotland’s most significant and visually striking medieval ruins. King David 1st founded the abbey for Cistercian monks, a religious order known for their austere way of life and dedication to manual labour.
thistleandtime.scot/2025/02/06/t...
Fragment of old wall, with vegetation in fore and background.
Not much remains of Rhymer’s Tower, the ruin of a 16th century tower house in Earlston. It features in the podcast series “Hidden Histories of the Scottish Borders”.
Today, little remains of Mangerton Tower—only a section of the basement and some wall fragments.Yet, it holds nearly legendary status because of one family: the Armstrongs, infamous and powerful border reivers, who made it their main seat.
thistleandtime.scot/2025/11/24/t...
Drone shot of the ruined Tower, red sandstone curved wall on left rising in height. Wall on right missing. No roof. Trees behind.
Littledean Tower, built in the 16th century, was attacked by an English Army during the “Rough Wooing”. It was also home to notorious Border Reivers and a ghost. It features in the podcast series “Hidden Histories of the Scottish Borders” available on all main platforms. #scotland #castle #history
Ruthven Barracks (pronounced Riven), overlooking the small town of Kingussie in Badenoch, is a striking ruin with a rich history. It was one of four Highland barracks built by the British government following the Jacobite Rising of 1715.
thistleandtime.scot/2025/10/23/t...
A dramatic clifftop setting and a turbulent history make Dunnottar Castle one of Scotland’s most captivating castles. Located on a rocky headland about a mile and a half (2.4 km) south of Stonehaven in Aberdeenshire, it is one of Scotland’s most visited castles.
thistleandtime.scot/2025/10/07/d...
Perched on a hillside plateau high above the River Tweed, the ruins of Elibank Castle are a reminder of the Scottish Borders’ unsettled history.
thistleandtime.scot/2025/09/23/e...
Flora MacDonald's birthplace and monument. The image shows an enclosure made of large stones in the foreground enclosing a circular cairn with a plaque on it. There’s a gate in the bottom right of the frame with a welcome sign on it. The landscape in the background is very flat. The sky is blue.
Flora MacDonald's birthplace and monument on beautiful South Uist in the Western Isles. She was born on an apparently unknown date in 1722 and would later become famous for helping Bonnie Prince Charlie cross "over the sea to Skye". More pics and info: www.undiscoveredscot...
#Scotland #SouthUist
Photo of a beach with low cloud reflected in the water
Heading to a market this weekend? You may be living like a 10th-century Viking 🧺
Established beach markets, like at Culbin Sands in Moray, were important seasonal events where locals gathered on beaches to meet ships carrying exotic goods, trade and socialise: www.digitscotland.com/who-were-the...
Castlehill Tower is a late 15th-century tower house in the Scottish Borders. Its architecture and strategic location—guarding a vital ford—reflect the widespread conflict and lawlessness of the turbulent Border Reivers era.
thistleandtime.scot/2025/09/17/c...
Nether Largie South Cairn at Kilmartin Glen in Argyll. The cairn dates to the late Neolithic and Bronze Age, and is one of many impressive prehistoric monuments in the area. 📸 My own. #TombTuesday #Prehistory #Kilmartin #Argyll
Dryhope Tower is a significant ruined peel or tower house located in the valley of the Yarrow Water near St Mary’s Loch in the Scottish Borders. thistleandtime.scot/2025/09/08/e...
When it comes to dramatic locations, Fast Castle takes some beating. There may not be much remaining today, but getting there, and experiencing its extreme position, will take your breath away. #castles #scotland
thistleandtime.scot/2025/08/31/f...
Smailholm Tower stands on a rocky outcrop 7 miles (11 km) west of Kelso in the Scottish Borders.
thistleandtime.scot/2025/08/15/s...
A few photos of Tantallon Castle, situated east of Edinburgh (near Dunbar). Built around 1350, it has seen many battles and several sieges. It's in a lovely location and is worth visiting if you're in the area.
#Travel #Scotland #History
Round stone building with 3 small windows. Ruined out buildings.
Orchardton Tower is an unusual free-standing round tower, the only one of its type in Scotland. It operated as a fortified residence for a nobleman named John Cairns, who may have acquired the land after James II's overthrow of the Douglases in 1455.
Neidpath Castle is an impressive medieval L-plan tower house, dramatically positioned on a cliff overlooking the River Tweed, about a mile (1.6 km) west of Peebles. It has witnessed some 800 years of Scottish history.
thistleandtime.scot/2025/07/28/n...
