Dunure – A Castle on the Rocks and Seafood by the Harbour
A few hours.
The route
Dunure is a little fishing village on the coast south of Ayr, where the ruin of the Kennedys' old castle stands on a rock above the sea and a turf labyrinth spirals across the grass below it.
Wander the shore and the harbour, then sit down to fresh seafood at the Anchorage, looking out over the Firth of Clyde. It suits anyone after an easy afternoon by the sea, dogs included.
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 Talli House, 26 miles away. Sleeps 4; next free Fri 30 Oct to Sun 1 Nov.
Book a table at the Anchorage on its website for about 1pm, Wednesday to Sunday only: its kitchen opens from noon (12.30pm on Sundays) and is shut on Mondays and Tuesdays, when the Harbourside café next door serves instead.
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The day
Dunure
A village on the sea, an hour round the castle, the labyrinth and the shore, and a long seafood lunch by the harbour.
About two and a half hoursAbout 0.5 miles on foot
Dunure Labyrinth
An attraction
In Dunure, park in Kennedy Park beside the castle on Castle Road, a paid car park with a play park and picnic tables. Dunure Castle is free to wander round at any reasonable hour. It was the first home of the Kennedys of Carrick, and Mary Queen of Scots once stayed here for three days. The ruin stands on a sheer rock above the sea, so keep well back from the edges. Below it on the grassy shore, the villagers laid out a spiral labyrinth in turf and gravel, and it's lovely to walk slowly round it to the sound of the waves. The shingle beach beside it has rocks to clamber on and pools to explore, and dogs are allowed on it all year.
About 6 min on foot
The Anchorage
Lunch
Then it's a few minutes' walk down to the little harbour for lunch at the Anchorage on Harbour View, which serves fish and shellfish landed nearby, with its lobster and crab kept in creels in the harbour, and welcomes dogs. Its kitchen opens Wednesday to Sunday from noon (12.30pm on Sundays); book a table on its website for about 1pm. On Mondays and Tuesdays, eat next door at the Harbourside café instead, open every day from 10am to 4pm.
If it rains
In rain the castle and shore take only half an hour, and the Anchorage is a snug place to sit out the weather over a long lunch.
Where to stay