Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United Kingdom Scotland Elgin Duffus Castle
AO Edited

Duffus Castle

Once considered one of the country's finest motte and bailey castles.

Elgin, Scotland

Added By
katielou106
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
From inside the defensive walls.   katielou106 / Atlas Obscura User
The keep on top of the old motte.   katielou106 / Atlas Obscura User
Looking down into the defensive ditch.   katielou106 / Atlas Obscura User
Inside the keep.   katielou106 / Atlas Obscura User
The fallen chunk of the keep.   katielou106 / Atlas Obscura User
One of the cracks showing in the keep.   katielou106 / Atlas Obscura User
Duffus Castle.   katielou106 / Atlas Obscura User
The defensive walls from the outside.   katielou106 / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Duffus Castle was a medieval stronghold belonging to the Moray family and was a successful fortress that acted as a residence for more than 500 years, from the 1100s until the 1700s.

Duffus Castle is situated on the Laich of Moray, a fertile plain previously swampy foreshore of Spynie Loch. This location was actually a much more defensive position than it now appears.

Mottes were common in Scotland during the 1100s and 1200s, until stone castles replaced them. Mottes were fortifications that usually consisted of a wooden keep on top of a vast mound. Some fortresses also had an enclosed courtyard or bailey, which would contain additional wooden buildings, which were protected by a ditch and palisade. 

The castle was built here by Freskin, a Flemish man who came to Scotland in the first half of the 1100s. In about 1270, the castle passed to Sir Reginald Cheyne the Elder, Lord of Inverugie. 

The stone castle seen today was constructed around the 1300s, replacing an earlier timber fortress.   

Duffus Castle was set out with steep sides and a wide ditch separating it from the bailey. The whole site was then enclosed by a water-filled ditch, which was actually more to mark its boundary than a serious defensive measure. 

Sometime after 1689, Lord Duffus moved to the nearby Duffus House and the castle quickly fell into decay. Today, the castle ruins remain an impressive sight, situated on a mound rising out of the flat Laich of Moray. 

Related Tags

History & Culture Ruins Castles

Know Before You Go

There is a car park with a drinks cabin near the castle.

Atlas Obscura Adventures

Flavors of Scotland: Beyond the Haggis

Smoked seafood, single malt whisky, and warm hospitality.

Book Now

Community Contributors

Added By

katielou106

Published

September 12, 2022

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Duffus Castle
Elgin, Scotland
United Kingdom
57.687886, -3.362107

Nearby Places

Sculptor's Cave

Duffus, Scotland

miles away

Dandy Lion

Elgin, Scotland

miles away

The Burning of the Clavie

Burghead, Scotland

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Elgin

Elgin

Scotland

Places 2

Nearby Places

Sculptor's Cave

Duffus, Scotland

miles away

Dandy Lion

Elgin, Scotland

miles away

The Burning of the Clavie

Burghead, Scotland

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Elgin

Elgin

Scotland

Places 2

Related Places

  • Crawford Castle

    Crawford, Scotland

    Crawford Castle

    These crumbling ruins are all that's left of the ancestral home of Clan Crawford.

  • Red-stone castle ruins sit atop a green hill

    Allinge, Denmark

    Hammershus Castle Ruins

    Northern Europe’s largest castle ruins sit precariously on an island cliffside.

  • Falkenburg

    Detmold, Germany

    Falkenburg

    The ruins of a medieval castle that survived two sieges.

  • Looking down to where the central round keep would have been

    Eglinton, Scotland

    Eglinton Castle

    The ruins of a once-grand castle that played host to a tournament with 100,000 attendees.

  • Castle of Montearagón

    Quicena, Spain

    Castle of Montearagón

    Designed in the Romanesque style, this structure was once a fortress monastery.

  • Aragonese Castle - Calvi Risorta

    Pignataro Maggiore, Italy

    Castello Aragonese Calvi Risorta

    Once home to the episcopal curia of the local diocese.

  • Whorlton Castle

    Whorlton, England

    Whorlton Castle

    An abandoned Yorkshire castle that is hidden in plain sight.

  • The remains of Dunure Castle

    Dunure, Scotland

    Dunure Castle

    Now in ruins, this castle stood for centuries and saw a number of gruesome events.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.