Castle Campbell - Dollar

Audrey W.

I loved this castle, the hilly setting surrounded by lush greenery was spectacular. If you prefer ruins as I do, then this is perfect. You can clamber about at your leisure, walk about on the grounds and even on up to the hills, or down to the town of Dollar for treats. Stunning scenery at the castle with huge trees, creating a fabulous photographic opportunity. Lovely day out.

Martina M.

Loved our visit, gorgeous castle with some interesting history, one of the towers is fully accessible with lots of different floors with a rooftop terrace to see the views. There is a toilet, small gift shop and some picnic areas. There is a castle car park which is around 5 minute walk away. Set at the top of the beautiful dollar glen which also has a car park at the bottom if you want to take the lovely scenic walk up to see the waterfalls.

Claire J.

Fantastic castle with nooks and crannies to explore. Amazing location at the top of a hill with spectacular views down onto Dollar and around the countryside. Has lively garden areas for picnics and a quaint shop for small souvenirs.
You park at the bottom of the glen and walk up through the woodlands past streams and small falls or you can park at the very top which has limited parking and take a 5 minute stroll down to the castle. If there's no spaces, then back and there is another larger carpark further down the road but it's a 15 minutes walk up the hill.

Jumana S.

2nd visit. Lovely walk down, then up to the castle. Quite steep for anyone challenged by hills. The view from the castle is stunning. Love the kids quiz given on entry payment.

Lisa B.

Really nice place to explore. Beautiful views. Places to indoors and out to picnic and a toilet on site.

We planned to do walking around the waterfall but unfortunately barely saw it due to the overgrowth.

Entry to castle is National Trust, thats why we chose to go there as members but discovered it doesnt apply to the English NT only if your members of Scottish NT but theres no mention of this online. Which means to get into any NT place in Scotland you have to become a member of the Scottish NT.

Theres a very steep and narrow lane you climb up to get to the castle and we managed to reach the closest one to the castle and get parked it was a little troublesome as theres not much space. I wouldnt recommend parkjng at the lower one unless your really fit to do the walk.

Views from the top of the castle were worth it!

Kate F. (.

This is one of my favourite castles and we try to visit regularly.
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Please note: in my opinion, if you have restricted mobility this may not be a viable choice for you due to the nature of the site being a) preserved historic with lots of large cobble stones and spiral staircases b) on top of an extremely steep and undulating hill. This is just my opinion, but I would hate someone to want to visit, and then be disappointed finding it unsuitable when they arrive. I am not sure if they have official wheelchair access either.
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As I mentioned, the castle is fantastic and Historic Scotland have really kept it well, even the toilet is in an old castle 'toilet' with a wooden door and under an arch! There is a small wet-weather room with tables if you want to escape any sudden downpours. Luckily we went on a bright sunny day with clear views all the way over to the Pentland Hills.
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The castle shuts for lunch for an hour in the middle of the day when all guests are asked to leave the castle, so plan your trip accordingly. If you need to wait for it to re open there are worst places... it sits at the top of Dollar Glen which is full of waterfalls, or if you stay at the top of the hill you can see for miles and you have a scenic backdrop of more rolling hillside and woodland. There are a couple of wooden benches but no shelter.
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The castle has signboards which helpfully explain each area, and you are able to climb right to the very top of the castle via a steep spiral staircase and explore the rooms that come off it, there's even a tiny prison cell.
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The gift shop is extremely small, so don't expect a full range of items but they have the essentials. Also, in my opinion, don't use the castle car park (it has 15 spaces and is closer to the castle, you have to drive over a ford), use the first car park on your right which is opposite a big wooden sign board for Dollar Glen.
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This car park has space for about 20 cars and is free. A top tip is to walk down into the glen, then turn right and head up the glen past the waterfalls on the wooden bridges to the castle (this takes around 30 minutes and is on uneven ground but VERY picturesque). Then walk down from the castle on the steep tarmac road back to the car park. We tried it the other way around and it is arduous. You can often see families struggling to walk up the road, as the incline is insane. On our last visit a toddler had sat down in the middle of the road and thrown a tantrum because he didn't want to walk any further.
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On that note, I would say that this site suits older children, young adults and fit older people. It is so beautiful and has a rich unique history - you just need to be aware of actually how steep/tiring the walk is (even if you park at the castle car park).

Hannah R.

It is an interesting, historic building. The information points around the castle were informative, and the building and ruined areas are well kept. There are a lot of stairs in the castle, but the views from the rooftop are beautiful.

Sirpa H. A.

I recommend to visit Castle Campbell. A beautiful walk up (and down) through Glen Dollar and fantastic views. I was greeted by Susi and Andrew which both were very kind, professional and helpful. A pleasure to have a wee chat with both of them and to hear Castle's history.