Edinburgh Castle will reopen to visitors later this month with a host of new rules in place.
Historic Environment Scotland (HES) will welcome visitors to dozens of their attractions across Scotland from Friday, April 30, following the proposed easing of lockdown restrictions and move to Covid protection level three.
They say 70 per cent of their free to access and ticketed properties will open on this date in line with Scottish Government guidelines.
More than 200 unstaffed key-keeper sites will open for access along with 27 ticketed venues – including Edinburgh Castle.
New rules will be in place with visitors required to pre-book tickets online, use contactless payment where possible, follow one-way systems and comply with restrictions on visitor numbers. Some enclosed spaces will be shut off and QR codes will be in use.
You can find all the latest updates on our live blog.
A full list of ticketed attractions to open on April 30 is as follows.
- Aberdour Castle
- Arbroath Abbey
- Blackness Castle
- Caerlaverock Castle
- Craigmillar Castle
- Dirleton Castle
- Doune Castle
- Dryburgh Abbey
- Dumbarton Castle
- Dunblane Cathedral
- Dundonald Castle
- Dunfermline Abbey
- Edinburgh Castle
- Elgin Cathedral
- Fort George
- Glasgow Cathedral
- Huntly Castle
- Inchcolm Abbey
- Jedburgh Abbey
- Linlithgow Palace
- Melrose Abbey
- St Andrews Cathedral
- St Andrews Castle
- Skara Brae
- Stirling Castle
- Tantallon Castle
- Urquhart Castle
Alex Paterson, Chief Executive of HES, said: “Scotland’s heritage attractions are a key part of our tourism sector both nationally and at a local community level, and contribute to our individual wellbeing, so we’re delighted to once again be opening sites up across the country.
“This will see us reopen all of the sites we reopened last year on the 30 April as well as further sites across the country on a phased based over the upcoming months.
“As always, the safety of our staff and visitors has been at the forefront of our planning, enabling safe access to our properties in line with Scottish Government guidance and our minimum operating standards which underpin our approach.
“We’re also pleased to tell the story of the sites through technology so visitors have the opportunity to experience the old and the new when they are exploring some of our most iconic sites and enjoying a piece of 5,000 years of history.”
Tickets can be booked via the HES website.
