Culzean Castle – Oval Staircase, Armoury and Lunch by the Sea
A few hours.
The route
Culzean Castle stands on the cliffs of the Carrick coast, the architect Robert Adam's grand house of towers and battlements, with a famous oval staircase and an armoury of swords and pistols set out in patterns on the walls.
Spend the morning inside and on its terrace above the sea, then drive a few miles down the coast to Maidens for a fish lunch at Wildings. The castle opens from spring to late October.
Before you go
Book accommodation nearby
If you are staying over: here are ours nearest where the day starts and ends.
Book a castle ticket on the National Trust for Scotland's Culzean page for about 10.30am, on any day until 1 November, when the castle shuts for the winter: adults £22 at the time of writing, last entry 3.30pm, members free.
Book lunch at Wildings by phone on 01655 331401 for about 12.30pm: it's served Monday to Saturday from noon to 2pm and on Sundays until 2.30pm.
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The day
Culzean
A clifftop castle, a morning among its grand rooms and cannons, and a fish lunch by the sea in Maidens.
About three and a half hoursAbout 0.5 miles on foot
Culzean Castle
An attraction
Park at the Home Farm car park in Culzean's country park, beside the shop, café and toilets; the signs there set the charge, and National Trust for Scotland members park free. The castle is about 8 minutes' walk on through the trees. It opens every day from spring until late October, 10.30am to 4pm with last entry at 3.30pm, and adult tickets are £22 at the time of writing, free to members. Robert Adam built it for the Earls of Cassillis on the cliff edge, and inside, allow an hour and a half for the great oval staircase, the grand rooms and the armoury, its walls patterned with swords and pistols. Then step out onto the terrace, where old cannons look out over the sea, and keep back from the cliff edges beyond.
12 min by car
Wildings
Lunch
Drive 12 minutes south along the coast to Wildings in Maidens, a family-run hotel restaurant on the shore, known for its fresh fish. Lunch is served Monday to Saturday from noon to 2pm and on Sundays until 2.30pm. Book by phone on 01655 331401 for about 12.30pm. Maidens' car park is free. It's said to welcome children and to be step-free.
If it rains
The castle is all under a roof: on a wet day give the rooms longer and keep the terrace short.
Worth a detour
- Electric Brae
Head north by the A719 coast road and stop in the signed layby at the Electric Brae, where the lie of the land makes the road look as if it runs the wrong way, so a car seems to roll uphill. Stop only in the layby, never on the road. It's about 13 minutes' drive from Maidens.