Brodick Brodick Castle and grounds situated about 3 miles north of Brodick on the Isle of Arran are open all year round from 09.00 till sunset with an entrance fee of £6 for adults and £4.50 for children. Inserting Brodick Castle in the search engine of the National Trust for Scotland website at www.nts.org.uk/ gives a few links to the castle. Click on image to enlarge.

Culzean Culzean Country Park situated about 12 miles south of Ayr is open all year round with parts of the castle open to the public from 1st April - October 31st 10.30 - 17.00. There are also the Eisenhower apartments in the castle that are available for holidays. Prices for entry to the park and castle are about £23 for a family or for just the park £13.50 per family. For a full list of prices, opening times and information on the Eisenhower apartments visit the website www.aboutbritain.com/CulzeanCastle.htm. Click on image to enlarge.

Dean Dean Castle&Country Park situated to the north of Kilmarnock centre is easiest found by entering Kilmarnock off the A77 at the junction leading to the B7038 (farthest northeast entrance to Kilmarnock). Signs from the roundabout at the large Howard Park Hotel lead to the estate. Entrance to the park is free including guided tours of the castle that are available every day from 12.15 - 16.15 each hour April - September. The Visitor Centre & Children's Corner are open 11.00 - 17.00 summer and 11.00 - 16.00 winter. For enquiries phone 01563 554 701 or view the website for the park at www.deancastle.com. Click on image to enlarge.

Eglinton Eglinton Country Park situated about one mile northeast of Irvine is open to the public free of charge all year round. Eglinton estate along with the town of Ardrossan passed from the Eglinton’s to the Montgomery’s though marriage in the 1300s. The Montgomery’s were forced to abandon Eglinton Castle and estate in 1929 after loosing all their money building Ardrossan Harbour. The castle soon fell into disrepair and was later used as target practice for tanks during World War Two. Click on image to enlarge.

Kelburn Kelburn Castle situated about one mile south of Largs has views over the Firth of Clyde and island of Great Cumbrae. The castle is run separate from the country centre as it is used for holiday accommodation, banquets, weddings and conferences. There are good views of the castle from the country centre. The centre is open from Easter to the end of October with a charge of £7 for adults and £4.50 for children/concessions. A family ticket is £22. Visit the website for Kelburn Country Centre at www.kelburncastle.com. Click on image to enlarge.

Loudoun Loudoun Castle is situated 5 miles northeast of Kilmarnock next to the town of Galston. The park offers a roller coaster, go karts, falconry, log flume and many more rides. Prices per day tend to vary throughout the year. The rides are free after paying to enter. For more information on the park, concession and family prices, visit the website at www.loudouncastle.co.uk. Click on image to enlarge.

See also Ayrshire Castles for more castles and abbeys that can be visited.