Historic Scotland car-freeall across Scotland
Discover historic sites across Scotland by train, bus, bike and foot. Thanks to our partnership with Historic Environment Scotland, you'll enjoy 25% off entry at any of these amazing places. Simply book online with the code GOOD25 and show a train/bus ticket or bike on arrival. From a remote island croft house, to mills, castles and mansions, discover the people and places that made Scotland.
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History awaits...
You get a real sense of history when you arrive car-free, especially on foot, as the buildings appear out of the landscape. And you’ll discover more along the way. Hear the craic onboard the local buses and perhaps a bit of Gaelic, too. Get the best seats to enjoy Scotland’s stunning scenery by bus and train. Relax and take in the view instead of watching the car in front. Enjoy a coffee, picnic, good book or a game of i-spy. Perhaps you could even have a wee dram in a country pub – with no need to worry about driving.
Read on to find out about the unique journeys by train, bus, bike and foot that will take you to 20 amazing historic sites around Scotland.
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1. The Blackhouse, Arnol
Visit a traditional thatched croft house, fully-furnished with the peat fire still burning, just as it was left in 1966.
Join the locals on the W2 bus from Stornoway. Wend your way around the villages and crofts of Lewis, passing the famous Callanish Stones, and step off beside a lone phone box in Arnol 80 minutes later. From there it’s a 10-minute walk up the lane to the atmospheric Blackhouse – arriving on foot, just as the crofters who built it would have done. Get full car-free travel directions to The Blackhouse, Arnol.
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2. Dunstaffnage Castle and Chapel
Raised above the sea, island kings used these battlements to scan the horizon in the thirteenth century.
It’s a spectacular train ride to Oban, winding between remote lochs and granite peaks. You can enjoy an audio tour of the journey and perhaps a cuppa and shortbread from the trolley. From Oban it’s a 10-minute bus ride and then a 20-minute walk to the Castle. Arriving on foot you can spot sailing boats out in the bay and perhaps even an otter on the shore. Get full car-free travel directions to Dunstaffnage Castle and Chapel
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3. Fort George
Get an insight into how the original residents lived, with an audio tour around the reconstructed Georgian rooms. Soldiers still patrol the mile-long perimeter or this working garrison.
It’s a spectacular train journey to Inverness and then a 40-minute bus ride to Ardersier. From there you can follow a shingle path along the sea shore, with great views across the Moray Firth. Keep an eye out for the fins of porpoises or dolphins! Get full car-free travel directions to Fort George.
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4. Huntly Castle
Admire the carved stone sculptures and friezes of this picturesque ruin.
Comfortable trains roll out of Aberdeen with space to stretch your legs onboard. You could hop off to visit the quaint Insch Station Museum on your way. Once you arrive at Huntly, it’s a 20-minute walk through the town and past the playground to the castle’s park. Get full car-free travel directions to Huntly Castle.
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5. Duff House
The lavish decoration of this baroque mansion has won it a place in the collection of the Scottish National Gallery. There’s a drawing trail and play area for the little ones.
It’s an epic 2-hour bus ride from Aberdeen to Banff, with great views from the top deck. Then it’s a 25-minute stroll, via a walking trail beside sandy Banff Bridge Beach and through the landscaped grounds, to reach Duff House. Get full car-free travel directions to Duff House.
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6. Stanley Mills
Try your hand at water wheels, pulleys and games used by women and children in the factories of the industrial revolution. Listen to real workers describe how they used the antique machinery in their jobs. Please note: Stanley Mills is closed during the winter.
It’s just an hour’s train ride from Glasgow to Perth. Here you join the bus, weaving its way along the river to Stanley. Finish your journey to the mills on foot, like the workers did, as you wander past the old millers’ cottages. Get full car-free travel directions to Stanley Mills.
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7. Huntingtower Castle
Mary Queen of Scots spent one of her honeymoons in these towers. Today you can still gaze up at the same painted ceilings she would have seen, but the castle is only home to deer and bats.
It’s a 20-minute bus ride through Perth to the city’s edge, where the bus will drop you almost right outside the castle. If you’re coming from further afield, it’s an hour’s relaxing riverside train journey to Perth from Glasgow via Stirling. Get full car-free travel directions to Huntingtower Castle.
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8. Blackness Castle
The dramatic coastal location has made Blackness Castle a popular film location. The castle has its own pier, headland beach and panoramic views from the towers.
The castle gradually comes into view on the 15-minute journey from Linlithgow – look out for Binns Tower folly, on the right, from the bus window. The bus will drop you right outside Blackness Castle. Linlithgow is an easy half-hour train ride from either Glasgow or Edinburgh. Get full car-free travel directions to Blackness Castle.
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9. Doune Castle
As the setting for Monty Python and the Holy Grail, it’s appropriate that the audio tour is narrated by Terry ‘the python’ Jones. Visitors can even buy film scripts and borrow coconuts (as props) to play in the ‘minstrel gallery’!
It’s a half-hour country bus ride from Stirling, followed by a pleasant 10-minute stroll. Alternatively, walk or cycle along a traffic-free path from Dunblane. Get full car-free travel directions to Doune Castle.
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10. Stirling Castle
One of the jewels in the crown of our historic sites. You’ll meet costumed palace servants as you explore their kitchen workplace, play in the activity vaults and parkland, or follow the audio guide.
It’s an easy train ride, past mountains and fields, from Glasgow (30 minutes) or Edinburgh (50 minutes), to Stirling’s pretty city centre. Then walk up the volcanic crag to the castle (15 minutes), take an app-led scenic detour, or hop on the free bus. Get full car-free travel directions to Stirling Castle.
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11. Craigmillar Castle
Explore the epic rooms and grounds – with orienteering and play area – at this well-preserved landmark. Like all Historic Environment Scotland sites, Craigmillar has a downloadable quiz.
See if you can spot Edinburgh’s Arthur’s Seat on the 20-minute Craigmillar bus trip from Edinburgh to Craigmillar. There are great train connections to Edinburgh from around Scotland and beyond. Get full car-free travel directions to Craigmillar Castle.
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12. New Abbey Cornmill
The restored 1700s water wheel still grinds oatmeal for summer guided tours. Watch the whole process, then meet the millpond ducklings.
Enjoy a 20-minute country-postcard bus ride from Dumfries. The bus will drop you just round the corner from the Mill. There are regular direct trains to Dumfries from Carlisle and Glasgow. Get full car-free travel directions to New Abbey Corn Mill.
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13. Linlithgow Palace
The Stewarts’ royal home still boasts its opulent tapestries and parkland. Events and festivals now raise what was once the roof. There’s also an accessible walking and cycling trail along the loch-side.
Linlithgow is just 15 minutes by train from Edinburgh, or 30 from Glasgow. You’ll arrive in the middle of town, for a 5-minute stroll along the attractive High Street to the Palace. Get full car-free travel directions to Linlithgow Palace.
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14. Aberdour Castle and Garden
Perhaps Scotland’s oldest castle, Aberdour is still complete with painted ceilings. There’s also a tearoom overlooking terraced lawns, leading to an orchard.
It’s just a 25-minute train ride from Edinburgh to Aberdour, across the famous Forth Bridge. The Castle is right next to the train station. You can bring your visit to life with Fife’s family-friendly augmented reality app. Get full car-free travel directions to Aberdour Castle and Gardens.
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15. Dumbarton Castle
Dumbarton Castle is at the swirling meeting point of two rivers, between volcanic peaks, with views as far as Ben Lomond.
The castle is just a 10-minute walk from Dumbarton Central station. It’s a 35-45 minute train ride from Glasgow Central to Dumbarton, from where trains continue up the epic West Highland Line. Get full car-free travel directions to Dumbarton Castle.
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16. Elgin Cathedral
See the ruined ‘Lantern of the North’, one of the most beautiful and ambitious medieval buildings in Scotland. It’s easy to visit car-free, as the cathedral sits in the heart of Elgin city centre.
Trains run direct from Inverness (45 minutes) and Aberdeen (85 minutes). Buses run direct from: Dufftown (45 minutes), Cullen (90 minutes) and Banff (2 hours). Get full car-free travel directions to Elgin Cathedral.
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17. Newark Castle
Newark Castle in Port Glasgow was once hidden behind busy shipyards. Today it offers wonderful views over the Firth of Clyde from the walls. The castle is open April to September.
There are trains and buses that run direct to Port Glasgow. Glasgow is 25 minutes away by train or 50 minutes away by bus. Get full car-free travel directions to Newark Castle.
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18. Bonawe Historic Iron Furnace
Bonawe enjoys a stunning setting beside Loch Etive, within sight of Glencoe. This is the most complete charcoal-fuelled ironworks in Britain. It stopped firing in the 1870s, but displays tell you how pig iron was made. You can also take a walk in the woods that fuelled the furnace. The site is open April to September.
Trains and buses run to Taynuilt, and both stop a 15-minute walk away from the furnace. Oban is 20 minutes away from Taynuilt by train or bus. Get full car-free travel directions to Bonawe Historic Iron Furnace.
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19. Bishop’s and Earl’s Palaces
The palaces (open April to September) are in the centre of Kirkwall, Orkney’s capital. The Bishop’s Palace is the only episcopal palace ever built in Norse Scotland. The Earl’s Palace, built much later, is one of the best examples of Renaissance architecture in Scotland.
There are buses to Kirkwall from across Orkney, or you can catch a ferry to Kirkwall from further afield. Get full car-free travel directions to Bishop’s and Earl’s Palaces.
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20. Jarlshof Prehistoric and Norse Settlement
Discover more than 4,000 years of human settlement at this historic site on Shetland. Visit an Iron Age broch and wheelhouses, which have withstood the sea’s attempts to wash them away.
Once you’re on Shetland, it’s easy to visit car-free. Buses from Lerwick take about an hour, and stop outside. Get full car-free travel directions to Jarlshof Prehistoric and Norse Settlement.
