Castle · near Dumfries · Dumfries and Galloway

Caerlaverock Castle

Caerlaverock Castle is a former castle archaeological site in Dumfries and Galloway. The register lists it as a part of a Scheduled Monument. Nearby, Sweetheart Abbey (6.1 km) heads a list of 11 within 15 km.

Where

12 km

southeast of Dumfries

Run by

Historic Environment Scotland

a national heritage body

How well known

Top 3%

#177 of 8,556 places we list

Warmest months

Jun–Sep

highs of 17–20°C

In brief

Castle near Dumfries

One of the best-known places to visit in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland

#177 of the 8,556 museums, castles, gardens and other attractions we list, by how widely it is covered (20 Wikipedias). About ↓

Near Dumfries

Caerlaverock Castle is 12 km southeast of Dumfries. Towns near it ↓

Cared for by Historic Environment Scotland

One of the places Historic Environment Scotland looks after; members usually get in free. About ↓

Part of a Scheduled Monument

On the official list of protected heritage; Dumfries has 314 listed buildings in all, on its History page. About ↓

Written from OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, NRS’s localities and Met Office 1991–2020 averages.

When to go

Seasons in Dumfries

Afternoons in Dumfries reach 17–20°C from June to September.

Jan7° / 2°135 mm

Feb8° / 2°103 mm

Mar10° / 3°87 mm

Apr13° / 4°69 mm

May16° / 7°68 mm

Jun18° / 9°78 mm

Jul20° / 11°87 mm

Aug19° / 11°101 mm

Sep17° / 9°92 mm

Oct13° / 6°137 mm

Nov10° / 4°133 mm

Dec8° / 2°134 mm

Green months are the warmest. Typical afternoon highs and night lows in Dumfries, and rain in a month. Met Office HadUK-Grid 1991–2020 averages for Dumfries. Opening times change through the year: check before you go. Dumfries’ full climate →

About

Caerlaverock Castle

Its care is managed by Historic Environment Scotland. It has articles in 20 Wikipedias.

Dumfries’ listed buildings and monuments →

Type: Castle
Run by: Historic Environment Scotland
Listed: Part of a Scheduled Monument
Wikipedias: Covered in 20 languages
Town: 12 km southeast of Dumfries
Official site: historicenvironment.scot/visit-a-place/places/caerlaverock-castle

Facts: Wikidata (CC0) and OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors).

Plan your visit

The essentials

Entrance fees

EntryA fee is charged

Hours and entry: OpenStreetMap contributors. They change through the year: check its site before you go.

The map

Caerlaverock Castle and what surrounds it

Orange shows Caerlaverock Castle; numbers mark the places near it.

Towns near it

Towns within reach of Caerlaverock Castle

With 33,694 people, Dumfries is the largest of the 8. Closest first, each of these towns names it on its page.

1 · 12 km northwest of it

Dumfries

33,694 people · 8 places to visit

2 · 14 km north of it

Locharbriggs

5,488 people · 6 places to visit

3 · 17 km east of it

Annan

8,697 people · 3 places to visit

4 · 20 km northeast of it

Lockerbie

4,411 people · 1 place to visit

Compare the 8 towns

Town	Where Caerlaverock Castle is	People	Places to visit
Dumfries	12 km northwest of it	33,694	8
Locharbriggs	14 km north of it	5,488	6
Annan	17 km east of it	8,697	3
Lockerbie	20 km northeast of it	4,411	1
Dalbeattie	20 km west of it	4,134	1
Castle Douglas	26 km west of it	4,061	5
Gretna	29 km east of it	3,435	1
Kirkcudbright	37 km southwest of it	3,219	6

Make a day of it

After Caerlaverock Castle

Nearby, 11 places within 15 km include 5 museums, an abbey or priory and a castle.

1Abbey or prioryAbbey or priorySweetheart Abbey6.1 km away 2CastleCastleComlongon Castle6.3 km away 3

MuseumDumfries Museum12 km away 4MuseumMuseumJohn Paul Jones Museum9.3 km away 5Historic houseHistoric houseHoddom Castle15 km away 6

MuseumDumfries and Galloway Aviation Museum13 km away 7

MuseumGracefield Arts Centre12 km away 8

MuseumRobert Burns Centre12 km away

Within 15 km, close and well known first. Numbers match the map.

Planning a visit to Caerlaverock Castle

Where is Caerlaverock Castle?

Caerlaverock Castle is 12 km southeast of Dumfries, Dumfries and Galloway.

What is Caerlaverock Castle?

Former castle archaeological site in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, UK.

Who runs Caerlaverock Castle?

Historic Environment Scotland, so members usually get in free; check opening times before you go.

When is the best time to visit Caerlaverock Castle?

June to September are the warmest months in Dumfries, with afternoon highs of 17–20°C (Met Office 1991–2020 averages).

Is Caerlaverock Castle a listed building?

Yes: part of a Scheduled Monument.

What else is there to see near Caerlaverock Castle?

Within 15 km: Sweetheart Abbey (6.1 km), Comlongon Castle (6.3 km), Dumfries Museum (12 km) and John Paul Jones Museum (9.3 km).

Places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, Open Database Licence) and Wikidata (CC0), placed in the NRS 2022 locality (Open Government Licence v3.0). Visitor counts are the latest Wikidata gives, with their year.

Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).

Photo credits (4)

Dumfries Museum: FutureMuseumSW, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Dumfries and Galloway Aviation Museum: Expatscot, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Gracefield Arts Centre: Richard Dorrell, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Robert Burns Centre: John Lord, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.