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Turnberry
Castle is in Ayrshire southwest
Scotland, at Turnberry village, 16 miles
south of Ayr, probably built for the
Earls of Carrick from the 1100s, later
passing to Robert Bruce through marriage,
father of King Robert the Bruce.
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The ruins of Turnberry Castle are in
Turnberry Golf Course where a Lighthouse
now stands. There is a good path out to
the Castle from a few hundred yards along
the main road from Turnberry, right in
the image top, with roadside parking at
the start of the path.
The Castle ruins are popular with
photographers and the Lighthouse has a
cafe / restaurant that serves golfers at
the 9th hole, and visitors to the Castle.
There are amazing views from the patio.
The Cafe is fairly expensive, about 2 or
3 times normal for the area.
There is also an Aviation Memorial
popular for visits by the Castle. The
Memorial is for Pilots that lost their
lives at the RAF base here during WWI
& WWII.
It is unclear when the earliest parts
of Turnberry Castle were built. Records
show it was in the hands of the Earls of
Carrick in the early 1200s.
1271 - Marjorie
Countess of Carrick lost her husband
on the 8th Crusade.
Marjorie married Robert Bruce soon
after, with Bruce holding lands in south
Scotland. His main Castle was at Lochmaben, 8 miles east of
Dumfries.
The marriage of Robert and Marjorie
led to Bruce moving to Turnberry Castle
where they had five sons and five
daughters, one being Robert the Bruce,
future king of Scotland.
Robert Bruce is thought to have had
Loch Doon Castle built around
that time. Loch Doon is high in the hills
28 miles east.
1286 - a number of Scottish Barons met
at Turnberry Castle to discuss the
possibility of Robert the
Bruce becoming King of Scotland. The
Bruce was 12 years old at the time.
1296 – 1328 - the First War
of Scottish Independence begins after the
death of King Alexander III in 1296
without leaving an heir. This leads to
Turnberry Castle, along with most other
castles in Scotland, being taken over by
English forces.
1306 Feb - Robert The Bruce stabbed
and killed John Comyn in the Chapel of
Greyfriars Monastery in Dumfries. Comyn
and The Bruce were disputing who should
be King of Scotland. This led to the Pope
excommunicated The Bruce.
1306 March - The Bruce was crowned
king of Scotland at Scone, near
Perth.
1307 April - Robert the Bruce begins
his campaign to remove English forces
from Scotland. He is involved in a number
of small battles in southwest Scotland at
that time, including at Turnberry and
Glen
Trool.
1307 October - the Pope and King of
France begin persecuting the Knight
Templar. Many flee in ships, thought
to be to Scotland, thought to be carrying
the Holy Grail - Cup of Life, and many
more treasures.
Treasure hunters are still looking for
the Knights Templar treasure with
Kilwinning Abbey, 32 miles
north of Turnberry, thought to be where
the Templar's visited soon after fleeing
France.
1310 - The Bruce ordered the
destruction of Turnberry Castle to stop
the English using the Castle when he was
leading his campaign in the north of
Scotland.
1314 - Victory at the Battle of
Bannockburn by Stirling
in Scotland leads to The Bruce removing
all English forces from Scotland.
1873 - Turnberry
Lighthouse is built on top of the
castle ruins. The lighthouse is 79 ft
high with 75 steps to the top.
1902 - Turnberry Golf Course is laid
out for the the Marquess of Ailsa. The
par 4 ninth hole by the Lighthouse
becomes one of the top holes in golf,
with the tee shot over the sea and
rocks.
1906 - Turnberry Hotel
is built overlooking the golf course with
a Railway Line built between Ayr,
Turnberry and Girvan around the same
time.
1914 - 1918 & 1939 - 1945 -
aircraft runways were built around the
Golf Course for training Pilots during
WWI & WWII. The Hotel served as a
Hospital during the wars.
1942 - the Railway Station closed.
There is a Memorial close to the
Lighthouse for Airmen that died in
accidents at Turnberry. The Runways can
still be seen, they are used as car parks
during major Golf events.
1986 - Turnberry Lighthouse was
automated with the Buildings sold to the
Golf Course.
2014 - Donald Trump bought Turnberry
Hotel and Golf Course.
2016 - Trump had the ninth hole
changed to a par 3 with the green next to
the Lighthouse. This is now probably the
top hole in the world, with a long carry
over the sea and rocks.
The par 5 tenth tee is also placed
next to the Lighthouse, with a long carry
over the ruins of the Castle and a Cave
to the fairway.
The par 3 eleventh was also changed at
that time with the Tee and Green on rocks
by the sea, making the 9th, 10th and 11th
an incredible experience for the many
golfers that visit from around the world,
also for photographers and artists.
The Lighthouse was converted at that
time to a cafe / restaurant for golfers
at the 9th hole. An apartment was also
added on the first floor for
holidays.
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