Caerlaverock Castle – Moat, Red Towers and Lunch by the Nith
A few hours.
The route
Caerlaverock Castle is a triangle of red sandstone inside its own moat, out on the edge of the Solway south of Dumfries.
Cross the bridge into the courtyard, wander the castle and the wood, then drive a few minutes up the road to the Boathouse in Glencaple for lunch looking over the River Nith.
Before you go
Book accommodation nearby
If you are staying over: here are ours nearest where the day starts and ends.
None of ours is close by: the nearest is The Scullery in Yarrow, 42 miles away. Sleeps 2; next free Fri 13 Nov to Sun 15 Nov.
Book Caerlaverock Castle tickets online ahead to be sure of getting in, for about 10.30am: from October to March it opens every day, 10am to 4pm with last entry at 3.30pm, and an adult ticket is £7.50, a child's (7 to 15) £4.50, at the time of writing.
Book a table at the Boathouse in Glencaple for about 12.30pm on its website or on 01387 770 673: it opens every day, 10am to 4pm, and its outdoor tables can't be booked.
The day
Caerlaverock
A morning at a moated red castle on the Solway, and lunch beside the river a few minutes up the road. There's time to wander the courtyard and the wood before a table on the quay at Glencaple.
About three and a half hoursAbout 1 mile on foot
Caerlaverock Castle
An attraction
Caerlaverock Castle is on the B725 south of Glencaple, and you park in the castle's own car park by the visitor centre. The Maxwells built it in the 13th century, a triangle of red sandstone inside a moat, and the English king laid siege to it in 1300. From the visitor centre it's about 200 metres up a gentle slope to the bridge over the moat, then into the courtyard, where the carved stone windows of the Nithsdale Lodging date from the 1630s. The West Range and two of the towers are closed while conservation work goes on. From October to March the castle opens every day from 10am to 4pm, with last entry at 3.30pm, and it shuts on 25 and 26 December and 1 and 2 January. Children can play the castle's Castle Quest app as they go, and a path of about 350 metres from the visitor centre leads through the wood to the grassy earthworks of the older castle. Dogs are welcome outdoors, and there are toilets with baby changing by the visitor centre.
8 min by car
The Boathouse, Glencaple
Lunch
Drive 8 minutes up the road to Glencaple for lunch at the Boathouse, a bright café on the quay looking over the Nith, open every day from 10am to 4pm. There's brunch, soup of the day with a roll or a savoury scone, fishcakes, hot smoked salmon and a Caerlaverock Estate venison burger, with cakes and a children's menu. Book online or on 01387 770 673 for about 12.30pm; the outdoor tables are first come, first served.
If it rains
The castle is mostly open to the sky, so in rain keep the visit short: the visitor centre and its shop are under a roof, and lunch at the Boathouse can run long.
Where to stay