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Dunninald Castle, its turrets and pinnacles above a green lawn.
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Dunninald Castle and Gardens

A Gothic Revival castle of 1824 by James Gillespie Graham near Montrose, with a walled garden at its best in July, open in summer.

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Welcome

Three miles south of Montrose, near the sea, a castle of pale stone bristles with turrets and pinnacles above its lawns.

Dunninald was built between 1819 and 1824 by James Gillespie Graham in the Gothic Revival style, and it is still a family home, set in a planned landscape laid out by Thomas White in 1789.

The gardens are the draw for most of the summer. Long grassy avenues run between old beeches, and the walled garden, facing south behind a curved wall, is at its best in July, packed with mixed borders, vegetables, soft fruit and fruit trees around a greenhouse, with hens pecking along the paths.

The gardens open on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday afternoons from May to August, and for a fortnight in July the castle itself is shown on guided tours.

A short drive awayLilybank BakehouseA sourdough bakery on Montrose High Street, grown from a home micro-bakery, baking bread, buns and pastries with local organic flour.8 min by roadSee itThe shopfront of Lilybank Bakehouse on Montrose High Street.
Before you go

The gardens open from May to August, on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday afternoons; the castle is shown on guided tours for a fortnight in July.

Where
Dunninald, south of Montrose, DD10 9TD.
Built
1819 to 1824, by James Gillespie Graham.

Opening hours

Monday
1pm–5pm
Tuesday
1pm–5pm
Wednesday
Closed
Thursday
Closed
Friday
Closed
Saturday
Closed
Sunday
1pm–5pm
Where it is

Near the coast three miles south of Montrose.

Close byMontrose.
  1. Black Labrador carrying a stick across a bowling green near a pavilionThe Flower Pavilion2 miles7 min by road
  2. Whisky casks marked "Arbikie Highland Estate 2022" stacked in rows inside a warehouseArbikie DistilleryA farm distillery above Lunan Bay.2 miles9 min by road
  3. Wooden viewing platform overlooking dunes and a wide sandy beachLunan Bay2 miles7 min by road
  4. Bridge of DunBridge of DunA three-arched bridge of 1787 over the South Esk.5 miles11 min by road
  5. Ruined harbour walls enclose a rocky cove below a clifftop stone bothyAuchmithie and the Ethie CliffsA fishing village on red cliffs north of Arbroath.12 miles22 min by road
Directions
The shopfront of Lilybank Bakehouse on Montrose High Street.CafeLilybank Bakehouse2.6 miles
The window of Tomorrow Is Another Day on George Street, Montrose.CafeTomorrow Is Another Day2.7 miles
The painted front of the Funky Wee Teapot ceramic painting studio in Montrose.CafeThe Funky Wee Teapot2.9 miles
Tables and shelves of books in Ink & Quill, Montrose.ShoppingInk & Quill Bookshop3.0 miles
Wet sand stretches towards a distant lighthouse on the headlandAttractionsScurdie Ness Lighthouse3.1 miles
AttractionsMontrose Playhouse3.3 miles
Restaurant tables laid with cutlery beneath hanging plants, overlooking coastal dunes at duskRestaurantsRoo's Leap3.6 miles
Two golfers on a coastal tee, one mid-swing overlooking a sandy bayAttractionsMontrose Golf Links3.6 miles
RAF Tornado ZD744 stored in a hangar with squadron crests on the wallAttractionsMontrose Air Station Museum3.9 miles
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