Route
Description for Culzean Castle ,
Country Park and Maidens Walk
Location: South Ayrshire
Map: OS Landranger 70. A detailed map is free to visitors
Distance: 5 miles W
Time: 2-3 hours
Grade: Easy woodland and shore walk
There
is so much to see and do at Culzean that it’s hard to know where to
start, though until April 1 the options are limited due to the castle’s
seasonal closure.
You can however still access the wonderful park and feast on the
castle’s visual appeal.
In
1770, the 10th Earl of Cassillis asked the renowned architect
Robert Adam to enlarge the existing castle on its clifltop
site.
Adam
at the height of his powers, recognised the potential of the
site and rewarded his generous client with a masterpiece.
It
is not a castle in the defensive sense, more a magnificent country house
that has been in the care of the National Trust for Scotland since 1945.
It
contains a great deal of interesting furniture, paintings and other
artworks and is well worth a visit when the curtain rises on the
season.
Our focus here is on using the castle as just one attraction
on a splendid walk. The castle sits at the heart of an extensive park
which has much to see within it and is rightly popular with visitors of
all ages.
Right
at the start of the walk the Home Farm courtyard (also designed by
Adam) holds a restaurant. shop and toilets — all great facilities that
you can use before the walk or after it.
Later
on you can see Culzean’s deer park over to the right and can if you
wish divert to walk through the fine walled garden or (as the route
describes) past the Camellia House with
its exotic plants.
Culzean’s
path network ( shown on the free map available on arrival )
offers almost edless possiblities and it is quite easy to get
away from crowds if you have come at a particularly busy time.
Whenever you come, one visit is unlikely to be enough. It truly is a
place for all seasons.
Route:
Start and finish at Home Farm car park, Culzean ( GFI: NS237103 ). Walk
through courtyard and exit by far left archway. Look for sign Footpath
to Castle and follow this. Pass
through archway and walk up to castle. From
front of castle, go down steps to walk through Fountain Court. At
far end, go R on path to the West Battery. Continue on path
marked Cliff Walk and Swan Pond.
Follow
this path, briefly joining road then continuing through woods to Pond. Follow
pondside path. At far end cross fotbridge and take first path on R
in 50m. Follow
this path through woods then into the open and down long flight
of steps to the beach. Walk
along beach, crossing burn by a footbridge, into Maidens. Return
along the beach to footbridge but go R here ( NTS -signs ) and follow
main track straight ahead. At
large car park go L to Swan Pond and follow path beside it. Past
end of pond, at junction TR and in about 150m TH again on first real
path, climbing gently. Rejoin
main drive but when this goes sharp Fl go ahead on small path to pass
Camellia House. Continue
ahead on path back to archway and return to the start. Note:
There is a charge for entry for those arriving by car ( NTS
members free ). There is no charge for walkers.
::
Ayrshire
Coast
Gallery 
