Dunskey Castle – A Cliff Walk from Portpatrick
Dunskey Castle stands roofless on the very edge of the cliffs just south of Portpatrick, a tower house the Adairs of Kinhilt built about 1510 on a promontory cut off by a ditch in the rock.
A short, steep cliff path takes you there from the harbour, with Ireland across the water on a clear day, and lunch is back on the harbour front at the Harbour House Hotel.
- Time
- About an hour there and back from the harbour, with time at the castle.
- The path
- Steep steps, a narrow clifftop path and uneven ground.
- Where to start
- At Portpatrick harbour, then on foot.
- Set off
- On foot from Portpatrick harbour by the signed coastal path south, about 15 minutes.
- When to go
- The cliff path is open ground at all times: go in daylight and dry, still weather. The Harbour House Hotel serves food every day, 10am to 9pm.
- Children
- A ruin on a cliff edge with a sheer drop to the sea: keep children close.
- Before you set out
- The castle itself cannot be entered; the view is from the cliffs to the south.
The walk
Portpatrick's harbour is community owned, with free parking round it, and there are public toilets in the village. The walk to Dunskey Castle starts here, on the signed coastal path south.
It climbs straight away up a steep set of steps from the harbour to the cliff top, where the view opens out across the sea to Ireland on a clear day. Wear sturdy shoes: the path is narrow and uneven above the drop, and slippery after rain.
If it rains
In rain or a strong wind leave out the cliff path, where the steps and the edge turn slippery, and keep to the harbour front; the castle can wait for a dry day, and lunch is indoors in the hotel's conservatory.
Along the way
15 min on foot
Dunskey Castle
An attraction
It's about 15 minutes' walk along the cliffs to Dunskey Castle, and an hour there and back is plenty with time to look. The Adairs of Kinhilt built it about 1510 on a promontory cut off from the land by a ditch hacked out of the rock. What is left is a tall, roofless shell with walls up to a metre and a half thick, standing over a sheer drop to the sea. The owner restricts access and you can't go inside, but the finest view of it is from the cliffs just to the south. The ground is open, with no gate or staff, so go in daylight and in dry, still weather. Keep children close and dogs on a lead near the edge.
12 min on foot
Harbour House Hotel
Lunch
Walk 12 minutes back down the steps to lunch at the Harbour House Hotel, the long white building on the harbour front. Food is served every day from 10am to 9pm, in the sea-facing conservatory, the bar, the lounge or out on the terrace, with fresh local seafood and a vegan menu. Dogs are welcome in the bar and lounge. If it's full, the Port Pantry, a few doors along the harbour, does breakfasts, lunches and cakes and is usually open until 4pm; ring 01776 810655 to check.
Before you go
Book accommodation nearby
If you are staying over: here are ours nearest where the day starts and ends.
The nearest of ours is Fawn's Velvet Lodge in Portpatrick, a mile away. Sleeps 4; next free Sun 18 Oct to Tue 20 Oct.
Then Artemisia Lodge in Portpatrick, a mile away. Sleeps 4; next free Sun 18 Oct to Tue 20 Oct.
Where to eat
The Port Pantry, Portpatrick, a café in Stranraer.
For further reading, before you go.