Hermitage Castle

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Hermitage can be a dark, brooding and imposing sight on a day when the mists are lying low and the dew is heavy on the grass. Even when the sun is shining, the castle with a reputation as the most sinister in Scotland has a glowering presence in the countryside.
The Keeper of Liddesdale that had responsibility for keeping the unruly clans in check resided at Hermitage, a place with a grisly past.
It was built by the Norman family of de Soulis sometime around 1240. William de Souils had a gruesome reputation for witchcraft and legend will have you believe that the locals boiled him in molten lead at the nearby megalithic stone circle of Ninestane Rigg.
By 1594, Sir Walter Scott of Buccleuch, known as the Bold Buccleuch, was the Keeper of Liddesdale and owned Hermitage from which he not only dispensed justice, but also rode out on his own raids.
It remained with the Scott family until 1930 and now belongs to Historic Scotland. Hermitage can be visited from April 1st to September 30th from 9.30am to 5.30pm (last entry 5pm).

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