Staying the Night in a Scottish Castle

Pitreavie Castle in Dunfermline, Scotland framed by leaves

December 14, 2016

Hey there! Travel looks a little different right now. Please be sure to follow local restrictions and double-check openings and guidelines for places you visit. And stay safe and wear a mask! Also, his blog post likely contains affiliate links, including Amazon Associates links. If you make a purchase through one of them I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Disclaimer: this post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase from one of them I will recieve a small commision at no extra cost to you, which allows me to keep this blog up and running!

When a couple of friends and I joked that we should rent out a castle during our reading week, none of us actually thought that we would go through with it. A few days later, though, we had found an affordable attic apartment on Airbnb and were making plans for how to get there. What started out as a crazy scheme turned into the perfect setting for writing essays and daydreaming that were were royalty.

The Journey to the Castle

We set off from the local train station at around 1:30 and were walking up the driveway to our castle by 3. We were pretty much blown away by the place that we would be living in for the next three days.

After settling in and getting a good laugh at all dog-themed decor (which, despite how much there was, I managed not to get any pictures of) we decided to take a little wander around the grounds. Scotland was feeling particularly cheeky that day, so the weather was absolutely beautiful and the skies cloud free as we went on our short walk. Unfortunately, the grounds were not as large as we had imagined – mostly just a lake and a well-manicured lawn, but it was still nice to spend some time outside gazing up at our ‘new home’.

Living in Luxury

The next two nights were spent in ridiculously comfy beds while our days were spent staring out of castle windows, procrastinating writing essays, and watching High School Musical in the fanciest sitting room any of us had actually been allowed to sit in. It was a truly amazing few days, and an experience that I’d gladly repeat again.

Want to stay in a castle of your own? Check out Airbnb! We stayed at Pitreavie Castle in Dunfermline, near Edinburgh, but there are literally tons of listings for castles throughout the United Kingdom (and the rest of the world) all at pretty affordable prices! Add a little whimsy to your life and pretend you’re royalty for a few days. It’s definitely worth it.

MY FAVORITE TRAVEL TIPS & RESOURCES

Booking Flights: The first place I turn when I’m searching for flights is actually just Google Flights - it’s great to figure out what sort of routes are available. Then, I check Skyscanner and Kiwi for deals. I also love Kiwi for its destination: anywhere feature!

Transportation: I love Omio for figuring out the cheapest way to get from one place to another, and Trainline for booking train tickets within Europe.

Accommodations: I absolutely love Booking.com for finding great hotel deals. After you stay a certain number of nights, you get Genius discounts! For hostels, Hostelworld is my go-to, and I use Airbnb occasionally as well (click here for $40 off your first booking!)

Travel Insurance: I knew that I shouldn’t travel without insurance for the longest time, but I really learned my lesson when I got an infected cut in Bali. Thank goodness I had travel insurance! I use and love World Nomads for their extremely comprehensive coverage.

Tours: I always check Urban Adventures for great day tours of cities first–I’m obsessed with them! GetYourGuide and Viator are also great options. For multi-day tours, I highly recommend Intrepid.

Camera Gear: I use a Sony Alpha A6300 camera with an 18-105 mm lens and a 35 mm lens. My tripod is the MeFoto Backpacker Air and I loooooove it! I also use a DJI Mavic Air and a GoPro and which allow me to capture everything my regular camera can’t.