Scottish Castles Association

Edinburgh Castle - Scotland's second biggest tourist attraction

The top 10 tourism attractions for Scotland have just been announced. The winner was the National Museum of Scotland with 1,494,728 visitors and second was Edinburgh Castle with 1,302,825. The findings were compiled by Glasgow Caledonian University taken from 649 tourist sites in Scotland. However, as entry to the National Museum is free Edinburgh Castle comes out as the most popular site that charges admission.

Not in the top 10, but showing a rise of 14.9%, is Stirling Castle with 433,393 visitors. This increase is due to the newly refurbished royal apartments at a cost of £12m.

The third most popular castle is Castle Urquhart on Loch Ness.

But what is the least popular castle in Scotland? Naturally Historic Scotland appears reticent on the matter but we can, perhaps, reveal the secret – Crookston in Renfrewshire.

Crookston Castle, Glasgow - A target for anti-social behaviour

Situated in a large housing estate Crookston Castle has experienced more than its fair share of anti-social behaviour. An unique example of its type, this beautiful, but neglected, 14th century tower demands a visit and deserves to be up there with the best.