D U N N O T T A R C A S T L E ๐ด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ณ๓ ฃ๓ ด๓ ฟ Is there a more dramatic, romantic castle in Scotland than Dunnottar? Standing upon a striking headland, surrounded by almost sheer cliffs on three sides, Dunnottar is not only one of the most beautiful medieval fortresses in Britain, but the site of some of the most fascinating and dramatic events in British history. Over the turbulent centuries, it has been burned, rebuilt, and burned again. It has been besieged, visited by saints and queens, and been the setting for dramatic escapes. It has been a religious community, a fortress, a terrible prison, and the scene of one of the most famous episodes in the story of Scotland. There may have been prehistoric settlements at Dunnottar, but the earliest historic record comes from the 5th century when the tireless Celtic saint Ninian established a church on the Rock of Dunnottar, one of the earliest Christian sites in Pictland. The early Christian centre at Dunnottar grew and became incorporated into a Pictish fort and small settlement. In the late 9th century King Donald II defended the fort unsuccessfully against a Viking invasion, and the king was killed. The Viking invasion was only the first episode of violence to descend upon Dunnottar. When Edward I made his bid for the Scottish throne Dunnottar once more became a pawn in the game of kings. English troops occupied Dunnottar, but a Scottish force under William Wallace captured the castle. The English took refuge in the church, but Wallace burned the church with the soldiers inside and destroyed the castle. Several windows of the 13th-century church burned by Wallace still survive in the current chapel ruins. #scotland #scotlandthebrave #foryou #braveheart #outlander