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An aerial view in mist shows the ruined walls of a castle on a rocky headland, waves breaking along the cliffs and a path winding up from the shore.
Dumfries and Galloway

Dunskey Castle

A roofless tower on the cliff edge, half an hour along the path from Portpatrick.

Welcome

Dunskey stands on the very edge of the cliff south of Portpatrick, on a promontory cut off from the land by a ditch hacked out of the rock.

The Adairs of Kinhilt built it about 1510, on the site of a medieval fort that had been destroyed in 1489; the same family built the Castle of St John in Stranraer. What is left is a roofless L-plan shell of four storeys with walls a metre and a half thick in places, standing over a drop to the sea. You reach it on the coastal path from Portpatrick, signed and fenced where the ground is steep; the round trip takes about an hour, coming back by the old railway line. You cannot go inside, and from the path you do not need to.

Before you go
How long
An hour to an hour and a half
Cost
Free
Getting there
Park at the south end of Portpatrick beach and take the signed coastal path.

Did you know

An aerial view along a rugged coastline shows grassy cliffs indented with rocky coves, a ruined castle perched on a headland partway along, and the sea stretching to a hazy horizon.
Did you know

Built by the Adairs, about 1510.

The Adairs of Kinhilt raised it on the site of a medieval fort destroyed in 1489. The same family built the Castle of St John in Stranraer.

An aerial view along a green coastline shows a ruined castle standing on a rocky promontory, cliffs and coves stretching either side towards the sea.
Did you know

A ditch cut through rock.

The promontory is severed from the land by a ditch cut into the rock, which is the whole of its defence on that side.

An aerial view shows a ruined castle standing on a green headland above rocky cliffs, waves breaking along the shoreline and a path winding up from the sea.
Did you know

You can reach it, not enter it.

The coastal path from Portpatrick is signed and fenced where it is steep, about an hour round; the shell itself is closed.

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Where it is

Half a mile south of Portpatrick, on the coastal path.

Close byThe rest of Dumfries and Galloway, near at hand.
  1. The Port Pantry, PortpatrickThe Port Pantry, PortpatrickA cafe on the harbour at Portpatrick, open every day, with breakfasts, lunches, coffee and cake.2 miles 6 min by road
  2. Harbour House HotelHarbour House HotelA seafront hotel on the harbour at Portpatrick, with a bar, lounge and conservatory serving local seafood all day, and dogs welcome.2 miles 6 min by road
  3. PortpatrickPortpatrickA painted harbour on the Rhins, and mile nought of the Southern Upland Way.2 miles 6 min by road
  4. Dreamcatchers hang above shelves crammed with globes, lamps, Land Rover and Porsche signsSmugglers CoveA quirky gift shop of little rooms on North Crescent in Portpatrick, crammed with souvenirs, garden ornaments, jewellery and retro finds.2 miles 6 min by road
  5. Waves rolling onto a curved sandy beach beneath grassy cliffsKillantringan Lighthouse and BayA white lighthouse of 1900 on the cliffs north of Portpatrick, above a sandy bay.5 miles 14 min by road
  6. Small wooden hut atop layered coastal cliffs above the seaRhins of GallowayThe peninsula at Scotland's south-west tip, circled by an 83-mile waymarked coast path from Stranraer to the Mull of Galloway and back.7 miles 17 min by road
Directions
A white gatehouse with twin turreted roofs stands on a lawn, a round table set for tea beside a green ceramic barbecue and potted palm.PortpatrickSelkie's Haven LodgeSleeps 2 · 2.6 miles
A stone country house facade is partly covered in red and gold autumn ivy climbing past its dormer windows and chimney stacks.PortpatrickThe Royal ApartmentSleeps 10 · 2.6 miles
PortpatrickWren's NestSleeps 2 · 2.6 miles
A rendered stone cottage with a gabled porch and a wooden bench sits behind a gravel courtyard, ivy climbing one gable end.PortpatrickSymphonica LodgeSleeps 4 · 2.6 miles
A pink harled house with a hipped roof sits behind a gravel drive, trees framing the building on either side.PortpatrickSaltwater Chronicles LodgeSleeps 6 · 2.6 miles
The stone cottage seen from the garden, with crow-stepped gables, a wooden bench and a hot tub set on the patio to the right.PortpatrickArtemisia LodgeSleeps 4 · 2.6 miles
An aerial view shows a turreted stone house nestled among dense trees beside a curving driveway.PortpatrickHarriet's Lodestar LodgeSleeps 4 · 2.6 miles
A stone cottage with two chimneys and a pale blue door sits behind a lawn, a bench and planter on the gravel path in front.PortpatrickFawn's Velvet LodgeSleeps 4 · 2.6 miles
A grey stone house with crow-stepped gables sits behind a post and rail fence, pine trees flanking a gravel drive.PortpatrickFern Forest HouseSleeps 6 · 2.6 miles
The Daily for 17 October, from Scotland with love. A wide waterfall churns over rock ledges, autumn trees lining the gorge.

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Stay nearby

Places to stay near the castle, and when each is next free.

A white gatehouse with twin turreted roofs stands on a lawn, a round table set for tea beside a green ceramic barbecue and potted palm.Selkie's Haven Lodge
  • Sleeps 2
  • In Portpatrick
  • A mile from the castle
Free 25–28 OctA stone country house facade is partly covered in red and gold autumn ivy climbing past its dormer windows and chimney stacks.The Royal Apartment
  • Sleeps 10
  • In Portpatrick
  • 2 miles from the castle
Free 21–24 JunWren's Nest
  • Sleeps 2
  • In Portpatrick
  • 2 miles from the castle
Free 20–23 OctA rendered stone cottage with a gabled porch and a wooden bench sits behind a gravel courtyard, ivy climbing one gable end.Symphonica Lodge
  • Sleeps 4
  • In Portpatrick
  • 2 miles from the castle
Free 28–31 OctPlaces to stayEvery stay in Dumfries and GallowayAll our places to stay nearby, to search by date and by who is coming.See them all
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