If you want to explore a Scottish fortress away from the crowds that throng Edinburgh Castle, try Craigmillar. Dating from the 15th century, the tower house rises above two sets of machicolated curtain walls. The castle is 2.5 miles southeast of the city centre. From the bus stop on Old Dalkeith Rd walk 500m up Craigmillar Castle Rd.
Mary, Queen of Scots, took refuge here after the murder of her private secretary, David Rizzio; it was here, too, that plans to murder her husband Darnley were laid. Look for the prison cell complete with built-in sanitation, something some 'modern' British prisons finally managed in 1996!