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Home Page | Moray Attractions | Ancient Monuments and Castles in Moray | Balvenie Castle

Balvenie Castle

Address: On the northern outskirts of Dufftown on the A941 Grid Ref. NJ 326 408
Town: Dufftown
County: Moray
Postcode: AB55 4DH
Telephone: 01340 820121
Website: http://www.historic-scotland.gov.uk
Opening Times: 1st April to 30th September Monday to Sunday 9.30am to 5.30pm
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Description
Balvenie Castle, originally known as Mortlach Castle is looked after by Historic Scotland and is a castle of enclosure with a massive curtain wall.

It has changed hands and been fought over many times over the centuries.  Balvenie Castle was built in the 13th century for the powerful Comyns, Earls of Buchan and fell in to the ownership of the "Black Douglases", one of the most powerful families in Scotland, in the early 14th century when the Comyns were destroyed by Robert the Bruce during the wars of independence.   In turn, James II wiped out the Douglases and the castle and estate was granted to John Stewart, 1st Earl of Atholl in 1459.  

Balvenie served as a garrison for government forces during the Jacobite rebellion of 1745 and was finally abandoned after the battle of Culloden in 1746.  

The Duke of Fife placed the castle in to a state of care in 1929.

Access to the castle is not possible for visitors using wheelchairs and is difficult for visitors with limited mobility.

Parking and toilets are available.
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