Dundonald Castle

Dundonald Castle is a ruin in the Ayrshire district of Scotland. It was built for Robert II in 1371 and was home to many Scottish kings over the years.

Directions, Admission and Opening Hours


The easiest way to get to the castle is to drive, following the A78 to Irving and then following the signs to Dundonald. You can also get to the town on public transport, buses stop within a few minutes’ walk of the visitors centre and there are train services to local towns, and from there you can get a bus or a taxi.
Admission: Adult £2.50, Child £1.25 (under 5 free).

The castle and the visitors centre are open 10am to 5pm from 1st April to 31st October.

Accessibility


The visitors centre is completely accessible for those in wheelchairs; however the castle is located at the top of a very steep hill, which may cause difficulties. If you are able to reach the castle access it limited to the ground floor only, as there are only stairs to the upper floor not ramps.


The Visitors Centre



After parking at the visitors centre car park, you enter the visitors centre, you can choose to just look around the centre and view the castle from a distance, or you can look around the centre and then take the short (but steep) walk up the hill and look inside the castle as well.

The Visitors Centre includes 4 models; the models show how the castle would have looked over the years. The first shows how the area was used as a fort in the Dark Ages (approx 500AD), it seems that this fort was burned down in approximately 1000AD and by 1200AD a motte and bailey castle stood on the site. I didn’t know what a motte and bailey castle was, and had to look it up when I got home, it seems that motte is French for raised mound or in this case a hill, and bailey means there is an enclosed courtyard, usually by a fence. This was replaced by a huge castle in 1300 surrounded by stone walls. This castle however was subject to a lot of attacks from the English in the many battles between the Scots and the English. The final castle was a much smaller affair than the 1300AD castle; in fact it was just the gatehouse of the 1300AD castle that formed the basis of the castle build for Robert II. The models are well made and are really good for people who aren’t able to imagine the buildings from the descriptions alone.

Around the walls of the visitors centre there are depictions of shields and information about each. There are also some artefacts which have been unearthed over the years. The centre is not huge and probably only takes 20-30 minutes to look around, presuming you study everything thoroughly, for a lot of people it will take much less time.

Also in the visitors centre you’ll find a small cafe, with about half a dozen tables (perhaps up to 8). They serve hot and cold drinks, and a small selection of sandwiches and home baking.
They also have a small shop which sells books about the castle and other Scottish castles; they also have a small selection of toys, jewellery and other knick knacks.


The Castle


From the visitors centre you can walk up to the castle. On the walk you’ll pass a well, this was unearthed a couple of decades ago, and it was also when they discovered the remains of the 1300AD castle.

The castle inside is quite bare, you enter into a huge hall, and about halfway up the wall there is a platform which you can reach via the stairs. The platform is at about the same level as the timber floor would have been originally. The stairs you use to reach the platform were originally the servant’s stairs. There is a plaque on the platform which gives you all the information about what the hall was used for and how it would have looked originally.

Further along the platform you can take a look at the prison and the prison pit, or you can climb a steel staircase up to the great hall. The Great Hall is where the private rooms would have been, and it was in one of those rooms that Robert II died in 1390.


My Thoughts


It’s not the most beautiful castle I have ever seen but the castle is an impressive sight, and because it’s high up on the hill it can be seen from quite a distance, I can imagine it was quite an imposing sight in 14th Century.

I enjoyed the visitors centre, as did my children. The models certainly helped them imagine how things would have looked when they were built. They were also very interesting in the heraldic shields, which I found surprising because they’d never shown any interest before.

Once you get up to the castle the scale of the work hits you. It always amazes me how these castles were built without modern transportation; using horses to drag those stones up that hill must have been such a struggle. And it makes you wonder about the scale of the earlier castle, which according to the model was about 3 times the size of the current castle, it must have been such an amazing sight in its day.

I found the castle interesting, but then I’m always amazed by the logistics of building these old buildings, and find it quite easy to imagine the life people used to live. My children however, weren’t overly impressed, obviously they haven’t read as much as I have, so they couldn’t imagine how things would have been. And because the rooms are just large bare stone, there was nothing really to spark their imaginations.

We all enjoyed the views from the top of the castle though, and it was hard even for me to imagine how the English ever managed to do any damage, because they would have been seen from miles away.

The selection was of food and cakes that were available in the cafe was small, but the food was delicious, and the staff were more than happy to chat about the castle as you are enjoying your drinks.

Just outside the visitors centre there’s a playground and skateboard park, I believe it is part of the castle facilities, but it’s also used by the locals. The children enjoyed having a play in the playground before we set off home again.

The entrance fee to the castle isn’t expensive, so I’d definitely recommend visiting, unlike somewhere like Culzean Castle it won’t be a full day out, but it certainly takes up a good couple of hours to give it justice.

Culzean Castle Review

Culzean Castle (pronounced Cul-ain) is located in Ayrshire in Scotland, it is owned by the National Trust for Scotland, it is a magnificent castle, set in a huge country park.

Admission Times and Prices (takenfrom the website for ease)


Country Park: all year, daily 9.30am - sunset.
Walled Garden: all year, daily from 09.30am - 5.00pm (sunset if earlier)
Castle: 1 Apr to 1 Nov, daily 10.30am - 5pm (last entry to Castle 4.00pm).

Visitor Centre and all other facilities: 1 Apr to 1st Nov, daily opening from 10.00am - closing from 5.00pm

Visitor Centre, Gift Shop and Restaurant (Off Season): 2 Nov to 29 Mar, Sat/Sun 11.00am - 4.00pm.

Castle and Country Park Combined:
Adult: £13
Family: £32
1 Parent: £25
Concession: £9
Pay and Display: £2 (after 5.00pm)

Country Park Only:
Adult: £8.50
Family: £21
1 Parent: £16
Concession: £5.50
Pay & Display: £2 (after 5.00pm)
(Where it says 1 parent it means a 1 parent family).

Attractions

Castle

The main attraction of course is the castle. The castle is located at the far side of the estate overlooking the sea. It is an 18th century castle which has been restored over the years so it looks almost as good as it would have when it was new. It was designed by Robert Adams (a famous Scottish architect and designer), and inside the castle there are several collections dedicated to Adams. You’ll also find collections belonging to the Kennedy family and items belonging to Eisenhower. Of course there are paintings and tapestries galore within the castle. They also have a large collection of armour in the Castle Armoury.

Grounds


There are several gardens within the grounds, firstly a Victorian Walled Garden which features herbaceous borders, as well as including the kitchen garden and the pleasure garden. They have also restored a Victorian vinery. Behind the Walled Garden you’ll find the herb garden and the wildlife garden.

The second largest attraction, after the Castle is the Swan Pond, which is a 13 acre lake, with a children’s playground close by and a picnic area. There is also a small aviary close to the lake and a pagoda.

All around the grounds there are different walks, such as the cliff walk and the keepers walk. You’ll also see the deer park as you walk or drive through the grounds which house a small herd of Red Deer.

There are also caves in the cliff face below the castle, we never actually went down there so I’m not sure whether they are accessible to the public all the time, but the National Trust do guided tours of the caves on certain dates during the year.

Shops


There are several shops and kiosks in the Castle grounds. Close to the castle there’s the Castle Shop, which sells all manner of souvenirs, and opposite the shop you’ll find the Old Stables Restaurant.

A short walk from the Castle you’ll find the Candies@Culzean kiosk which sells homemade sweets and fudge, a second hand book shop, the visitors centre and Smiddy Toy Shop and Home Farm Restaurant, all within about 10 minutes walk of each other.

Carrying on around the main drive way and the Walled Garden also has plant sales, and finally the Swan Pond kiosk sells refreshments.

Accommodation


You can stay at the castle itself, although it’s a luxury that doesn’t come cheap. Staying in the Eisenhower apartments will set you back £25,000 for the week of Monday 13 to Sunday 19 July 2009, but fear not that price includes your breakfast! For the less well off, the Royal Artillery Cottage and the Brewhouse Flat come in at a mere £3,500 per week, self catering.

Weddings


The Castle also allow you to marry on the premises, and I can imagine the experience would be fantastic, but at £6,000 for the cheapest package it’s not for everyone.

Other Information


Dogs are welcome in the grounds but not in the buildings, any dogs in the grounds must be kept under control at all times.

There are four car parks; one at the visitors centre, one at Camellia House (and straight opposite the deer park), one close to the walled garden and finally one next to the Swan Pond.

My Thoughts


It’s not often you can describe a place in one word, but ‘stunning’ would be a great place to start. The castle itself looks amazing, you get the best views of it as you’re walking over the bridge toward it and it just looks like your stereotypical fairytale castle. Walking around the inside of the castle you get a great sense of history, and the rooms are just magnificent. As a child we’d often go around castles and I’d be bored stiff, but luckily Culzean Castle make the experience very child friendly, and have quizzes and little competitions for the children to do on their way around. When we went they had put a small Lego figure in every room, and the children had to try and spot the figure. This not only gives the children something to do, but leaves the adults free to read the information leaflets and look properly at the room and its contents. Or that was the idea behind in, in my case it actually led to lots of ‘mum, I can’t see it, where is it?’ meaning I’d have to stop what I was doing and look for it, but that all added to the fun.

The Swan Pond was absolutely beautiful, we went for the full walk around the pond, and at a couple of spots there are hides for watching the birds and the wildlife, although my two don’t stay quiet long enough for any animals to stick around, but there are supposed to be red squirrels and foxes which inhabit the area. Of course the kids made good use of the children’s play area, which is quite large, so there’s not too much of a problem with overcrowding. We visited during the school holidays and it was busy, but there was still plenty of room in the playground for all the kids to play nicely. The pagoda was a strange little building, set out of the way and surrounded on three sides by tree, it seemed to serve no purpose apart from to look nice, however I have read since that it may have been home to a monkey of some sort when if was first built.

We were able to walk from one end of the park to the other, although it looks quite a distance on the map, it isn’t really that far. But for anyone with mobility trouble the car parks are spaced nicely so you can visit one area, hop in your car and move onto the next.

Although I really enjoyed the castle and the Swan Pond, my favourite area was the Walled Garden, the entire area was blooming as you’d expect, and the variety of flowers was wonderful. Luckily it was a beautiful summer’s day when we went and this made the colours in the flowers seem that much brighter, and the scent was heavenly. The kids didn’t enjoy this area so much, but then they don’t share my love of nature.

We stopped for lunch the Old Stables Restaurant; they were serving your average lunch time fare of soups, sandwiches and light snacks, and of course teas, coffee, cold drinks and ice creams. As it was such a nice day we sat outside to eat, looking across the castle walls to the sea, we were treated to visits from bull finches who came to share in our lunch. They weren’t a nuisance though, and for someone like me who lives in a town centre and rarely sees anything but pigeons, it was very cute.

Later we stopped by at the Swan Pond Kiosk for ice creams, which despite asking for small ones, were absolutely huge!

Culzean and its grounds are so varied, there’s something to suit everyone, whether you’re a nature lover, a history buff, enjoying walking or like my two kids, enjoy climbing and running around and generally having fun. The National Trust have attraction days throughout the year, these range from nature walks, to craft fairs, to medieval fairs with jousting etc and outdoor plays, one this year I believe is Romeo and Juliet, and I can’t imagine a better setting for the play.

Although it may seem a little expensive at first glance, it’s actually great value for money, and I’d recommend it to anyo