Caerlaverock Castle
The majestic Caerlaverock Castle was Scotland 's first line of defence in the south, standing guard over the Solway coast for over 400 years and it is the epitome of a medieval stronghold.
Surrounded by a moat, Caerlaverock Castle is accessed over a drawbridge into an awesome twin towered gatehouse that is flanked by imposing battlements. Caerlaverock Castle was built in the 1270s by the Maxwells, Sherrifs of Teviotdale and Dumfries and a leading family in Scottish society at the time. Two features that further distinguish Caerlaverock are its triangular shape and the pink tinge of its red sandstone walls though the design adopts standard defensive principles of the time. It was positioned so that any attack by land or sea would be seen well in advance, the marsh and woodland between the castle and the Solway would bog down any invaders from the sea, and the front of the castle was heavily defended.
Indeed Caerlaverock Castle's defences would be put to the test when Edward I of England laid siege in 1300. A unique historic account of the siege was documented in verse by a member of the besieging army. It's an accurate and colourful account, full of the pomp of the day, that gives an insight into the warfare and weaponry deployed at the time and an excellent video reproduction pieces it together. As the story goes, Edward I came with 87 Knights and 3000 men and huge siege engines such as the medieval trebuchett, a replica of which stands outside the castle today. Though the siege was not protracted, the men of the castle fought valiantly and when they eventually surrendered the English were surprised that the garrison were just 60 men.
Inside the castle is the fabulous later addition of Nithsdale Lodging built around 1634. This is a real architectural gem and though the same colour as the rest of Caerlaverock, looks strangely out of place in its more defensive outer structure. From the courtyard you can take in the grandeur of the facade of the Nithsdale Lodging with its renaissance exterior and tympana over the doorways and windows depicting themes from classical mythology.
As well as a walk around the castle and the siege exhibition, Caerlaverock Castle is surrounded by nature trails leading into the woods and salt marshes where you can find the remnants and parts of the foundations of a castle built by the Maxwells fifty years before Caerlaverock but subsided into the marshes.
