Tantallon Castle

Tantallon Castle stands as one of Scotland’s most formidable medieval fortresses, perched on the edge of towering cliffs overlooking the Firth of Forth with dramatic views toward Bass Rock. Built around 1358 by William Douglas, 1st Earl of Douglas, the castle’s massive curtain wall—50 feet high and 14 feet thick—cuts across a rocky promontory, creating an almost impregnable stronghold. For nearly 300 years, Tantallon served as a seat of the Douglas family, withstanding numerous sieges during Scotland’s turbulent medieval and early modern periods. The castle’s most destructive siege came in 1651 when Oliver Cromwell’s forces bombarded it with cannon fire for 12 days, finally breaching the walls and effectively ending the castle’s military life.

The phantom soldiers of Tantallon are believed to be remnants of the 1651 siege, when Cromwell’s New Model Army faced fierce resistance from the castle’s Scottish defenders. Witnesses report seeing groups of men in 17th-century military dress standing on the battlements or walking patrol routes along the walls, appearing solid and lifelike before fading from view. Some accounts describe the sound of cannon fire, musket shots, and the shouting of military orders echoing across the ruins when no visible source is present. The ghosts appear most frequently during foggy conditions or at dawn and dusk, when the light creates atmospheric conditions that seem to thin the veil between past and present.

The castle’s ruined tower and Douglas Chamber also host paranormal activity, with visitors reporting sudden temperature drops, the sensation of being watched from empty windows, and shadow figures that dart across openings in the walls. Some witnesses have described hearing Scottish and English voices engaged in heated conversation or argument, possibly replaying confrontations between besiegers and defenders. The sound of horses’ hooves on stone has been reported in areas where mounted soldiers would have been stationed. The castle’s dramatic clifftop location, combined with its violent history and atmospheric ruins, creates ideal conditions for these spectral soldiers to continue their eternal watch over the Firth of Forth, forever defending a castle that fell centuries ago.