Slain's Castle no more (Slains Castle)

Member Name: K7AYLOR

Product:	Slains Castle
Date:	24/02/09 (41 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Interesting touristy place

Disadvantages: Eerie, dangerous location and now closed to the public

Slain's Castle is an imposing ruin fronting directly onto south facing cliffs to the east of Cruden Bay.

I should however mention that because of some local knowledge I know that this is not the only Slain's Castle on the coastline. There are the remnants of the "original" Slain's just to the north east of Collieston, which was built in the 1200s but was destroyed by King James VI because of the questionable loyalties of the Earl of Errol in approx 1594.

After returning from exile in 1597 the then Earl of Erroll made amends with the King and rebuilt his fortress. However this time he used the tower at Bowness as the foundation of the new Slain's. To end the history lesson, the castle, over time had wings and courtyards added until in approx 1836 the castle gained is granite facing. In 1916 death duties forced the sale of Slain's Castle by the 20th Earl of Erroll, but disappointingly the new owner left the castle to fall into disrepair and the roof being removed in 1925.
Famously Slain's is rumoured to have been the inspiration for Bram Stoker's "Dracula" when Stoker himself stayed at the Castle.

Whilst an interesting ruin, you can't deny the general eerie air surrounding the Castle. This is further influenced by the crashing waves under the cliff, and the wind, which whips round the broken walls of the castle, many a tourist has said they've felt they weren't alone when visiting the area.

It was announced that in 2007 that Slain's Castle would be closed to the public, the first time the public were denied free access to this site. The reasoning for this being the land and ruins were to be converted to holiday homes.

Summary: Vampy's home no more