The Scottish Castle that Inspired Disney’s Film ‘Brave’

Inaccessible, except for one easy to defend path, the first time I saw it I exhaled. It literally took my breath away.

Dunnottar Castle is spectacular. On the east coast of Scotland a few miles south of Stonehaven, the fortress sits perched on a rocky headland jutting into the North Sea.

The promontory is a natural acropolis with three sides dropping sharply into the choppy waters. It is as dramatic a ruin as you will see, beautiful, silent, and steeped in history.

The best view of the castle is from the edge of the cliff a few hundred yards from the road. It is one of the most impressive views in Scotland.

It was at Dunnottar Castle that a small garrison held out against the might of Lord Cromwell’s army for eight months and saved the Scottish Crown Jewels.

They hid the Honours of Scotland, (a crown, a sceptre, and a sword) from Oliver Cromwell’s invading army in the 17th century.

In September 1651, Cromwell’s troops appeared at Dunnottar and settled down to a lengthy siege. The garrison of 69 soldiers held out through the winter and spring.

Reconstructed, this is how it would have looked over 400 years ago.

It was May 1652, before the tiny garrison had to surrender. The English brought in heavy guns and for ten days bombarded the castle. But Cromwell’s men did not find The Honours of Scotland. The Scots are not averse to subterfuge and skullduggery.

With eight months to work out a ploy, they managed to either smuggle out The Honours of Scotland under the Englishmen’s noses or secrete them so well they could not unearth them.

More recently, filmmakers have adapted Dunnottar Castle as a backdrop for Shakespeare’s Hamlet, starring Mel Gibson of Mad Max and Braveheart fame. Don't believe his accent, though.

It made another appearance in Victor Frankenstein, a re-imagined version of Frankenstein starring Daniel Radcliffe and James MacAvoy.

On my last visit, I took the scenic coastal route through Aberdeenshire. It is hard not to stop and admire Dunottar Castle, even in the passing.

It was the biting wind that first took my attention away from the castle and then the pressing attention of my bladder.

Tufted grass covers the headland with footpaths worn away by the multitude of visitors. There are no trees to screen a desperate man keen to respond to the call of nature.

Dunnottar Castle has toilets, but I’m too frugal to pay the entrance fee — £7 just for a pee, c’mon! This may cement the reputation of the 'canny' Scots, I prefer to think of it as practical common sense.

I wandered across the sloping headland away from the other tourists and walkers dotted around, looking for a spot to relieve myself. Not an easy task. Rabbits scurried to their holes in fright as I reversed double-quick from the edge of a cliff.

On the far side of the ridge, I turned through 360 degrees checking for any sightseers. It was clear.

From this lower position, I emptied my anxiety and was rescued from the siege on my sac. The easing pressure lifted my mood and a smile returned to my tortured features, but not for long.

I looked across the gap to the next peninsula and spotted a bench. And on that bench sat three elderly ladies, wrapped in fawn duffle coats and hazelnut scarves. Sitting below the skyline, they blended into the granola background.

As I tucked my embarrassment out of sight, the three women got to their feet. In unison, they cheered and clapped.

In all my fifty years, it was my first standing ovation.