Historic Scotland has hailed a record-breaking summer after figures for the three month period from June to August topped last year’s record for visits to heritage attractions throughout the country.

According to numbers from Historic Scotland, 1,826,047 visitors were welcomed to heritage attractions throughout the country; an increase of more than 34,000 on the same period last year and an overall record Scotland during the summer months.

On an individual basis, Edinburgh Castle welcomed a record number of visitors, marking a 7 per cent increase on the same period in 2014, welcoming a bumper 666,348 visitors over the summer, 249,923 of which came in July alone – a 12 per cent increase.

Doune Castle – which starred as the fictional Castle Leoch on the first season of Outlander, enjoyed a boost with the castle in Stirlingshire reporting back-to-back record-breaking months and a 44 per cent surge in visitors up to 32,540 for the summer months.

The prehistoric settlement of Skara Brae also posted impressive figures, with the site – which dates back around 5,000 years – recording increases of 8 per cent and 13 per cent in June and July respectively, with 55,078 people visiting during the three-month period.

“Heritage attractions are a vital element of Scotland’s wider tourism offering,” said Stephen Duncan, director of commercial and tourism at Historic Scotland. “We’ve recorded high levels of footfall at our properties including castles, abbeys, a palace, a 5,000 year old village and a military fort. Edinburgh Castle had a particularly strong summer with three consecutive record breaking months. Whilst Doune Castle also enjoyed a treble in record breaking terms and recorded it’s best June in nine years, helping to highlight our diverse heritage on the international stage.”

Figures for the top ten visitor attractions for summer 2015 (June-August)

1. Edinburgh Castle (666,348)
2. Stirling Castle (216,132)
3. Urquhart Castle (190,083)
4. Skara Brae (55,078)
5. St Andrews Castle (34,957)
6. Linlithgow Palace (34,477)
7. Iona Abbey (33,751)
8. Fort George (33,324)
9. Doune Castle (32,540)
10. Melrose Abbey (25,856)