Top 5 Castles around East Kirkcaldy

In a sorry state.

busy wee back road

A well preserved tower which must have been a castle exists along Torbain Road. Prominent, you can not miss it when passing by.

In 1929, 85 acres (34 ha) of the estate, including the castle, was given to the town of Kirkcaldy by the Nairn family as a public park. Ravenscraig Castle was passed into state care in 1955 and has been open to the public by the owners Historic Scotland since 1971.

A great ruin with lots of stories linked to it and the home of Sir Michael Scott the Wizard of the North. Can be reached from Beveridge Park, Auchertool road or the Orrock Quarry road. It is on the newish signposted Kirkcaldy to Auchtertool path.

The lands here at Seafield (as well as the lands at Markinch) were granted to Robert Moultrie by King James II in 1443 and the tower was in his family ownership until 1631. It was then sold to the Archbishop of Glasgow, James Law, before passing through a number of unknown owners. The last owners were the Methven family, whose Lord was reported to have left Seafield in 1715 to join the Jacobite arising, never to return, resulting in the tower being abandoned in 1733. Seafield Tower, also known as the devil’s tower, is five stories high and was built using the local red sandstones. It would have had a vaulted storage area on the ground floor and great hall on the first floor and the upper floor level would have been for the Lord’s accommodation. The tower is protected by barnskin or curtain wall. Unfortunately, all has been lost due to the coast erosion- the significant northwest corner collapsed during the storm in 2013. The 1744 plan of the tower shows ancillary buildings to the west of the tower, providing necessary support to the residents, including bakery, brewery and stables.

MacDuff's Castle was originally built in the 11th century. However, nothing survives from this period and the ruins you see today are from the 14th and 15th centuries. You can explore the castle for free, at your leisure, as there is no tourist infrastructure. Be warned, though, the castle is said to be haunted by the grey lady, who has also been sighted around the caves below. Locals say it is the ghost of Mary Sibbald, who was found guilty of theft and died in the castle.

MacDuff's Castle was originally a late 13th century stone courtyard fortress, founded by Michael Wemyss. The site is traditionally associated with Macduff, Thane of Fife but in 1306, King Edward I ordered the Earl of Pembroke to burn the castle. Rebuild in the mid 14th century, Sir John Wemyss added the north-western gatehouse to the quadrangular court. From 1530 the Colvilles remodelled the castle, blocking the old gateway they built the south-western four storey tower, with a new gatehouse range in-between. In the late 16th or early 17th century, an outer court encased by a wall with angle turrets and pierced with gun-ports was created on the three landward sides. Allowed to decay from the late 17th century, only the south-west tower, the west wall and its southern angle tower of the outer court remain. The rest of the castle buildings are extremely ruinous and lie buried under mounds of rubble or vegetation. 2 miles south-west is Wemyss Castle and 3 miles north at Kennoway is Maiden Castle.