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An aerial view shows a ruined stone tower keep standing in a field bordered by trees, hills and a river visible in the distance.
Dumfries and Galloway

Cardoness Castle

A six-storey McCulloch tower above the Water of Fleet, with the estuary below.

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Welcome

Cardoness stands on a rock above the Water of Fleet, six storeys of it, built by the McCullochs in the later 1400s and looking rather like a smaller version of Threave.

The McCullochs were a Galloway family of some standing and a good deal of lawlessness, and the line ends badly: Sir Godfrey McCulloch was executed for the murder of a Gordon neighbour, and the family gave the castle up in the late 1600s. What survives is the plan of a tower house laid bare - the vaulted basement, the hall with its carved fireplace, the stair turning up through the thickness of the wall - and, when the tower is open, a view from the top down the estuary to Fleet Bay. It is in the care of Historic Environment Scotland. Conservation work means the tower is shut at present while the grounds and the visitor centre stay open, so it is worth checking before you come.

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The Daily for 30 October, from Scotland with love. Aerial view of a teal-coloured lochan cupped in a forested hollow, a scree slope rising on one side and autumn-tinged pines ringing the shore.
Before you go
How long
Three quarters of an hour to an hour and a half
Cost
By ticket
Getting there
Car park off the A75, then a short walk up to the tower.

Opening hours

Their website
Monday
Closed
Tuesday
Closed
Wednesday
Closed
Thursday
10am–4.30pm
Friday
10am–4.30pm
Saturday
10am–4.30pm
Sunday
Closed

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Did you know

An aerial view shows a ruined stone tower keep standing in a field bordered by trees, hills and a river visible in the distance.
Did you know

The McCullochs built it.

It went up in the later 1400s for the McCullochs of Galloway, six storeys of it, on the plan of a tower house.

An aerial view shows a ruined stone tower keep standing among trees in open farmland, hills rising in the distance.
Did you know

The last of the line was executed.

Sir Godfrey McCulloch was put to death for killing a Gordon neighbour, and the family left the castle in the late 1600s.

Did you know

The tower is shut just now.

Conservation work has closed the tower itself; the grounds and the visitor centre stay open, so check what you can get into before you travel.

Graeme Johncock

Sir Godfrey McCulloch’s Magical Escape

It always paid to be kind to beings of a supernatural nature, they might just save your life one day. Sir Godfrey McCulloch was well aware of that fact when he was stopped by a strange little man near his home at Myrton Castle.

Read the story
01 / 05
Where it is

Above the Water of Fleet, a mile south-west of Gatehouse of Fleet on the A75.

Close byThe rest of Dumfries and Galloway, near at hand.
  1. Toasted cheese sandwich with bramble jelly, knife stuck upright in the breadGalloway Lodge PreservesThe home of Galloway Lodge's jams, chutneys and Poacher's Pickle in Gatehouse of Fleet, with a cafe and a shop.Under a mile 2 min by road
  2. PA Pop Up, Mill on the Fleet1 mile 2 min by road
  3. Mossyard BeachPale sand and water you can see the bottom of, on the Fleet.4 miles 8 min by road
  4. Big Water of Fleet ViaductBig Water of Fleet ViaductTwenty granite arches across an empty glen, six miles above Gatehouse of Fleet.5 miles 13 min by road
  5. Cairn Holy Chambered CairnCairn Holy Chambered CairnTwo Neolithic tombs on a hillside above Wigtown Bay, with the sea below.6 miles 9 min by road
  6. Carrick BayCarrick BayTwo hundred metres of sand off the Fleet, with the sun going down the firth.6 miles 13 min by road
Directions
A woman in a black puffer jacket and floral scarf smiles at an outdoor café table, a shopfront window behind her.AttractionsKirkcudbright Art Tours8.0 miles
Cars parked along a row of colourful terraced houses with chimney potsAttractionsKirkcudbright8.0 miles
Jake Irving Ceramics shopfront with stone facade and small blue table outsideShoppingJake Irving Ceramics8.0 miles
Green-trimmed shopfront of Lily Knowles Florist at number 20ShoppingLily Knowles Florist8.1 miles
Paul Jones Bakery shopfront at numbers 28-30, with delivery van parked outsideShoppingPaul Jones Bakery8.1 miles
Woman stands outside Pleat, Suneeta Rathore's shop with yellow doorShoppingPleat, Kirkcudbright8.1 miles
Gallery interior with framed paintings, ceramics on plinths and glass display cabinetsShoppingThe Whitehouse Gallery8.1 miles
Pink-washed townhouse with round gable window and black railingsAttractionsBroughton House & Garden8.3 miles
Gallery walls hung with framed paintings of horses and Highland cattleAttractionsHarbour Cottage Gallery8.4 miles

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