Dunnottar Castle in line for £1.5m revamp

Dunnottar Castle may be in line for a 1.5 million pound revamp, with a visitor centre at the heart of the proposals. Picture: Graeme Murray

Owners of the site, Dunecht Estates, gave a presentation to various community councils in the Kincardineshire area this month, and included in it were pictures of what a visitor centre could look like.

It was also noted that there are plans to upgrade the coastal path adding in new viewpoints and paths which would lead down to beach beside the castle.

Dunecht Estates were looking for views on the proposals and when asked when this proposal may become a planning application, Stuart Young, chief executive of Dunecht Estates, said: “Not in a hurry, we want to be completely sure about this.”

He noted during the presentation that the castle had 88,000 paying visitors last year, which was an increase on previous years.

Inside the visitor centre plans are included for a cafe with a terrace view, toilets, exhibition space and retail.

There are also plans for a park on an area currently used as farmland situated between Stonehaven and the castle, and proposals for five homes near Dunnottar Lodge as part of the plans.

Dunnottar Castle is a ruined medieval fortress located on a rocky headland south of Stonehaven.

The surviving buildings are largely of the 15th and 16th centuries, but the site is believed to have been fortified in the early middle ages.

Dunnottar has played a prominent role in the history of Scotland through to the 18th century Jacobite risings because of its strategic location and defensive strength.