Out & About …

… on the North York Moors, or wherever I happen to be.

Dunnottar Castle ruins perched dramatically on a rocky clifftop headland above the North Sea, with a small sheltered pebble beach and exposed rock formations in the foreground, green grassy clifftops and yellow gorse to either side, and a blue sky with white clouds above.

Fire, Seaweed and a Green Lady: The Legends of Dunnottar Castle

Some places earn their legends. Dunnottar Castle, two miles south of Stonehaven on Scotland’s north-east coast, is one of them. Perched on a sheer clifftop above the North Sea, it has been collecting stories for over fifteen hundred years — and frankly shows no sign of stopping.

It starts early. A chapel here is said to have been founded by St Ninian in the 5th century. Nobody can prove it. Nobody can quite disprove it either, which is exactly how folklore likes things1“Dunnottar Castle.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, accessed 20 May 2026, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunnottar_Castle..

Then comes William Wallace. In 1297, legend says he trapped an English garrison inside the chapel — and set fire to it. Those who escaped the flames went over the cliff. The story comes from a poet called Blind Harry, writing two centuries after the fact, a man better known for enthusiasm than accuracy. Treat accordingly2“Dunnottar Castle | Myths, Mysteries and Murders!” Two Bears Cottage, 29 Jan. 2025, https://twobearscottage.com/2025/01/29/dunnottar-castle-myths-mysteries-and-murders/..

The castle also appears in a 13th-century Arthurian romance, “Roman de Fergus”, where the hero must travel to Dunnottar to retrieve a magic shield. Of course he must3“Dunnottar Castle.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, accessed 20 May 2026, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunnottar_Castle..

The strangest tale, though, happens to be true. In 1652, Scotland’s crown jewels — the Honours of Scotland — were smuggled out from under Cromwell’s besieging army, hidden in a basket of seaweed, and buried under a church floor. Scotland: where even the facts are stranger than fiction.4“Dunnottar Castle.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, accessed 20 May 2026, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunnottar_Castle.

And wandering the old brewery? The Green Lady, naturally. Every Scottish castle worth its salt has one5“Guide to Visit Dunnottar Castle.” LochNessBus.com, 5 Jul. 2020, https://lochnessbus.com/scotland-travel-guide/dunnotar-castle/..

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