Dumfries and Galloway
The Royal Apartment
Introduction
The Royal Apartment is the bigger of the two self-contained lets inside Dunskey Castle, a three-floor apartment with its own private entrance and courtyard, so guests come and go without ever crossing the rest of the building. The castle was completed in 1904 for Charles Lindsay Orr Ewing MP, and the apartment keeps the evidence: reclaimed blond hardwood floors original to the house under Persian rugs, furniture and artworks that have been here from the early days, and an art deco spiral staircase made by a Glasgow firm in its industrial heyday.
The layout splits two king bedrooms across the ground floor and two kings plus a twin room on the top floor, all five bathrooms with rain showers, the twin's with a bath. Between them, the first floor holds the open-plan living space, a kitchen in matt blue with a breakfast bar, a dining table seating ten, and a utility room with washer and dryer.
Prices & Availability
Facilities & Services
The kitchen is fully equipped, recently modernised, with a breakfast bar and a starter pack of dish soap, sponges, kitchen roll and laundry detergent. A utility room holds the washing machine and dryer. There's a smart TV and WiFi, outdoor seating in the private courtyard and a charcoal BBQ. Every booking includes a welcome hamper of bread, eggs, coffee, tea, milk, butter, artisan cheese, jam and baked goods, plus laundry, linen and Dunskey's own toiletries. Guests get complimentary use of the boat on the estate loch, and ready-made meals from the estate's chefs can be ordered in.
Location
The apartment occupies its own wing of Dunskey Castle at the centre of the 2,000-acre estate, which runs along the Rhins of Galloway coast from Portpatrick towards Killantringan Lighthouse. The walled garden with its Victorian glasshouse and the maze are a short walk, and the glen path leads past a waterfall to two private bays where dolphins and seals turn up. Portpatrick and its harbour are a couple of minutes' drive, Stranraer is eight miles for supermarkets and trains, and Glasgow is around two hours by car.
Good to know
The Royal Apartment sleeps a maximum of ten across four king rooms and one twin, with five bathrooms. It spans three floors linked by stairs, so it suits mixed groups better than anyone needing step-free access. Minimum stays run to three nights year round, rising to seven over Christmas and New Year. Up to two pets are welcome with a £60 deep-clean fee per stay. The castle hosts weddings and events, so check with Dunskey what's on during your dates. Wellies are the estate's own recommendation for the grounds, and a car is near enough required.
What's nearby
Portpatrick has the pubs, restaurants, a brewery, a putting green, public tennis court and the start of the 212-mile Southern Upland Way, which climbs the cliffs north towards Killantringan Lighthouse, built in 1900 by David A Stevenson. The ruin of the original Dunskey Castle, a 1500s tower house, stands on the coast south of the village. Dunskey Golf Course is beside the harbour, Logan Botanic Garden sits 20 minutes down the Rhins, and the Cairnryan ferries make Northern Ireland a realistic day trip, 20 minutes to the port and two hours on the boat.
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