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The loch on the Douglas estate, still water mirroring an island of trees under a blue sky, with reeds in front.
Scottish Borders

The Walk to Douglas Castle

A gentle walk from the village of Douglas beside a loch to the last tower of Douglas Castle, the old seat of the Black Douglases.

Welcome

The village of Douglas in South Lanarkshire gave its name to one of the most powerful families in Scottish history, the Black Douglases, and their ancestral castle stood just outside it.

Today a peaceful walk leads from the village to what remains.

The path begins at the Polish Memorial Garden, made in 1940 by soldiers stationed here, and follows a good flat track beside a lovely loch, with swans and geese on the water. At the end, a single tower stands on its mound. It survives from a later rebuilding and was kept as a romantic ornament in the grounds.

The Duke of Douglas once planned a vast new castle here to rival Inveraray. Coal mining beside it in the twentieth century made the great house unsafe, and it was pulled down, leaving the old tower alone by the water.

A little further outDuke’s DeliA deli and cafe on Castlegate in Lanark, with coffee, wine, cheese boards and good food to eat in or take away, and hampers.21 min by roadSee itA filled flatbread with salad and a glass of water on a wooden table at the Duke's Deli in Lanark.
Before you go

Open at all times.

Start
The village of Douglas.
Path
A flat track beside a loch.
At the end
The last tower of the castle.
Where it is

Walk from the village of Douglas, ML11 0RH, where there is free parking in the street. The walk starts at the Polish Memorial Garden.

Close byDouglas.
  1. Snow-covered bench beside a wire fence overlooking a wintry valleyDouglas VillageThe village of the Douglases.1 mile4 min by road
  2. Mural depicting "Heselrig's House Raised to the Ground" as "Wallace's Story ContinuesWallace Mural11 miles20 min by road
  3. River Clyde flowing past New Lanark's mill buildings and wooded banksThe Falls of ClydeWaterfalls above New Lanark.13 miles27 min by road
  4. Museum of Lead Mining Visitor Centre sign on a stone gable wallMuseum of Lead MiningLead mining at Wanlockhead.16 miles25 min by road
Directions
A filled flatbread with salad and a glass of water on a wooden table at the Duke's Deli in Lanark.RestaurantsDuke’s Deli11 miles
Stay nearby

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

Crossbasket Castle, GlasgowCrossbasket Castle
  • To stay
  • In Scottish Borders
  • 19 miles from Douglas Castle
Check datesPlaces to stayEvery stay in the Scottish BordersAll our places to stay nearby, to search by date and by who is coming.See them all
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Find out more

For further reading, before you go.