Entry to the castle is offered predominantly through hourly guided tours running between 10am–4pm daily.
The tour lasts approximately one hour and includes many staircases and winding turnpike stairwells as you make your way around the castle. If you have any questions or concerns, please speak to a member of our team to assess the level of accessibility.
We regularly offer free-flow guiding on Sunday afternoons between 1–4pm. If you would prefer a visit to the castle with the freedom to spend more time there.
Please be aware that due to the size and scale of the rooms in the castle, our tour numbers are limited and often at capacity. There may be a delay when you arrive before the next available tour. We offer a limited number of pre-bookable daily slots. Please visit our Events tab for more details.
Your guide will give you a brief introduction to the history of the castle itself, and you’ll then step inside to the stone entrance staircase. On your way round, you will see rooms including the drawing room, dining room, library, Earl’s room, the blue room, and the nursery, and you will hear stories of the individuals and families who shaped Kellie.
The T-shaped structure of Kellie Castle originally started as a single tower house, and has undergone centuries of additions and remodelling; it now consists of three towers, all from different dates, with a central section connecting them.
From 1150, when the first mention of Kellie occurs, the estate passed through the families of Siward, Oliphant and Erskine, until 1797 when there were no direct nor immediate heirs. The castle and grounds fell into ruin and neglect until they were discovered in the 1870s by the Lorimer family. Professor James Lorimer took a long lease on Kellie and repaired and restored the castle to make it a comfortable family holiday home.
