Venue Description

This site is open for you to enjoy but there are some access restrictions in place as a precautionary measure. There is currently no visitor access to the Guard House, South Entrance and De Vaux range. 29 Mar to 30 Sept: Daily, 9.30am to 5pm (last entry 4.30pm). 1 Oct to 28 Mar: Daily, 10am to 4pm (last entry 3.30pm). Closed for lunch 12.30pm to 1.30pm. We recommend booking online in advance to guarantee entry. Tease out the hints of a long and eventful history and in these well-preserved ruins. Cross the deep moat guarded by high walls and an imposing tower, glancing up at the "murder hole" above your head. Look for the vaulted dome inside the 1249 tower, the grim prison and pit and the 1550s "beehive" dovecote.

Accessibility

Approach to site The site is approached along the road with a gentle downhill gradient and entered through a gate. Monument The Gazebo is 13m from the visitor centre, up a stairway of 12 steps with a wooden handrail. The Dovecot is 173m from the visitor centre and down five stone steps with a handrail. It has a low (1.36m) and narrow (0.7m) doorway with a 75mm threshold and two steps down into the interior. The route with the fewest steps to the castle is about 250m from the visitor centre. There are three stone steps and one timber step with a handrail onto the drawbridge which has a steep gradient. At ground level are the ruins of the brewhouse, guardhouse, inner close, chapel and priest’s room. The floor is uneven and there are several low door thresholds. 15 uneven stone steps, (eight of them are without a handrail), lead down to the bakehouse and vaults. Special features The herbaceous section of the garden is particularly fragrant in the summer. It is all on the level with bound gravel surfaced paths all round the perimeter and a flat grass lawn in the middle. Surroundings There are extensive gardens with gravel walkways and wooden benches throughout.

Access Statement

Access Statement Link: http://www.historicenvironment.scot/access

Toilets

There are public toilets next to the car park. The nearest public adapted toilets are on Quality Street, North Berwick.

Staff

Information about the staff has not been added for this venue.