Red Castle - Angus, Scotland.
Posted by: 
creg-ny-baa
N 56° 39.027 W 002° 30.647
30V E 529996 N 6278583
Ruined red sandstone castle on the east coast of Scotland overlooking Lunan Bay in the county of Angus.
Waymark Code: WMXFQA
Location: Northern Scotland, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 01/07/2018
Views: 1
Standing on a bluff just south of the mouth of the Lunan Water between the Angus coastal towns of Arbroath and Montrose, this was originally built as a hunting lodge for William I (William the Lion).
In the 12th century it was taken over by the Balliol family and rebuilt as a courtyard castle. The name Rebeum Castrum (latin for Red Castle) appeared around this time, a reference to the red ashlar sandstone that the castle was built out of.
Robert the Bruce gave the castle to Hugh, 6th Earl of Ross in 1328, after which it was owned by Stewart Lord Innermeath, and then the Beatons.
A tower four storeys high with walls six foot thick, was added around the 14th and 15th centuries.
The castle was attacked, sacked and burnt by the protestants around 1579-81. Despite the damage, the castle was still occupied thereafter by episcopal minister James Rait before then being owned by the Guthries.
It was last intact around the middle of the 18th century, since then it has fallen into disrepair with only the remains of the tower and a surrounding wall still standing. In recent times the eroded land on which it stands has caused concern for the safety of the remains.
The castle can still be visited with care, an unmarked entrance from the minor road that passes a few hundred yards to the west gains access to a path which heads up to the ruins. The large car park at Lunan Bay on the north side of the Lunan Water around a half a mile to the north is the best access point.