Dunure Castle

📌 Dunure, South Ayrshire
★★

Dunure‘s castle is a 13th century ruin, for centuries the stronghold of the Earls of Cassilis, which really rewards thorough exploration. When you first approach from the inland side, its very ruinous state and the offputting presence of a neighbouring skate park don’t do the site any favours. The ugly metal staircases, litter and weeds inside the damp interior further detract from the experience. However, make a beeline for the headland directly to the south and you’ll be rewarded with an excellent view of the dramatic seaward side of the castle, hidden until now. The scale of the northwestern walls overlooking vertical cliffs become fully apparent if you descend a rough path down to the shoreline (past the “Dunure Labyrinth” – a maze of rocks constructed in a hollow below the headland) and follow the coast north. The castle’s beehive dovecot is nearby and in better condition.