Dating back to the 12th century, it’s said that Loudoun Castle was once the home of William Wallace’s great grandparents. What remains of the grand house today was mostly built and re-built in the 1800s for the Countess of Loudoun, who oversaw the 90-room castle with its 10,000-volume library and the unofficial title of the ‘Windsor of Scotland’.
Almost completely devastated by fire in 1941, the mansion’s most peculiar additions didn’t come until 1995, when the grounds of the ruined castle were turned into an amusement park, with three roller coasters and a variety of other attractions. Many of those rides found new homes at other theme parks when Loudoun Castle closed in 2010. What remains today are the melancholy remnants of a rather offbeat addition to one of Scotland’s most elegant homes.