Dunnottar is a promontory fort. It is perched on a ‘sea girt’ looking out into the North Sea from the east coast of Scotland. The castle has played a pivotal role in tensions between the English and the Scottish over the years. Most famously, William ‘Braveheart’ Wallace besieged and retook the castle from the English in 1297 (it is a key location in the 1990 movie).

The castle was later besieged by Oliver Cromwell. The Scottish crown jewels were smuggled to safety – either ‘up the jumper’ of a pregnant woman, or over the seaward-facing walls, depending on who you ask. One of the most dominant remains on the 1.4-hectare site is the 14th-century Tower House. This uniquely Scottish feature was a kind of fortified mansion that once stood three storeys high.