What can be described as a place of stoic beauty, historical prominence, mixed with modern tastes and a touch of the natural world, Kelburn Castle provides a perfect place for both old world enthusiasts and new world adventurism. Kelburn castle is located near Fairlie, North Ayshire Scotland over looking the Firth of Clyde. The castle’s origin came from a band of knights arriving to the British Isles with William the Conquer called the De Boyvilles, later known as the Boyles. John Boyle is credited as the castle’s first architect, and handed it to David Boyle in 1581 who expanded it into a grander structure with towers that were erected on its opposite corners. The Boyles made their wealth from maritime shipbuilding and transportation, elevating themselves as Earls of Glasgow in 1703. Kelburn Castle started as a military keep before new editions were built, having a mansion attached to it in 1700, followed by a Victorian wing, enclosing one of the towers housing family heirlooms with a grand view of the Firth of Clyde in the later 1800s.

Under the current Earl of Glasgow with his wife Isabela, Kelburn Castle has turned into a public tourist attraction, enabling visitors worldwide to enjoy its surrounding glens, gardens, guided tours, and private parties. The family opened it in 1977 for public viewing, a plan that was decided due to the maintenance costs they endured. In 2007 architects advised that the concrete facing needed to be replaced to prevent any damage to Kelburn’s walls, prompting an invite for the world’s best graffiti artists to paint over its surface. The family decided it would provide a popular attraction since the facing was temporary, incorporating a creative back drop during the repair. The project was featured on the BBC’s “The Culture Show” in 2007 as well as its financial troubles televised in the documentary, “Crisis At The Castle”.

Kelburn Castle provides many activities and attractions boasting it to be a children’s paradise. It offers a play barn, adventure path, stockade forts, along with natural habitats to include the surrounding Kelburn Glen where waterfalls, garden trails, and a petting zoo are part of the experience. The Castle is open to guided tours, rent space for special events, and the most popular point of interest, one thousand year old yew and weeping Larch trees said to be Scotland’s national treasures.

Rothesay Castle is located on the Isle of Bute, within the Scottish town of Rothesay. The castle provides a 13th century flavor, with curving circular walls, one remaining tower around its north-east face, the rest being ruins after centuries of war fare and erosion. Rothesay castle has an impressive historical background shared by Scottish, Norwegian, and English monarchs.

Historians suggest it was primarily made of timber, before stone was applied to its curtain wall in the 1230’s. Chronicled in The Saga of Haakon Haakonsson, the Norwegian Norsemen Gillespec MacDougall was given the task of re-taking the Isle of Bute for his king, Hakon IV of Norway. The military siege lasted for three days, when the Norse army had penetrated the stone wall using brute force, almost successfully taking the castle if not for a fleet of Scottish naval vessels forcing them to retreat. This was not a period of rest for the castle, for it was taken again by the King Hakon IV himself in 1263. The castle remained strained from warfare, when Alexander III defeated the Norwegian king at the Battle of Largs, where in September of 1263, Hakon IV died having to retreat from Bute Isle and abandoned Rothesay castle. The Norwegian claims would cease, surrendering the castle to the Scottish Crown under the diplomatic Treaty of Perth.

Rothesay Castle was retained by the Stewart line before it was handed over to Robert the II in 1327 followed by his son, Robert the III in 1406 until it became the property of James the IV where it under went re-construction. The expansions included a larger great room, an extension of the gate house, and the only surviving structure still retaining an original shape, the Chapel of St.Michael located in the main court yard. The adaptations would survive further occupations and damage by wars and rebellions before its eventual ruin. In 1816 the 2nd Marquess of Bute lead a excavation and reconstruction of Rothesay Castle, where its reddish tint color is now visible, created in order to compare the historical stone from the newly installed masonry. The final stewardship of the castle now rests under with Historic Scotland being used not only as a tourist attraction, but also backgrounds for weddings, re-enactments, musical festivals and local celebrations. Interested travelers can tour the castle’s interior sections to include a survey of the courtyards and outer ruins.

As with so many areas of Scotland, the Ardrossan area is steeped in rich and storied history. Just east of Ardrossan and north of Kilmarnock, you can spend a day in the park. The park is Dean Castle Country Park and, although history permeates this park, there is an amazing amount of things to see and do for the whole family. As incredible as it may seem, admission is free for people to enjoy. The name “Dean” is a common Scottish place name and means wooded valley. The castle was known as Kilmarnock Castle up to some time in the 1700s.

Set on 200 beautiful acres, the history of the castle has its roots back to 1290 and the murders of several Scottish nobles in Ayr by the English. Sir Robert Boyd was among those that were hung. Due to this, his son became an active participant in the Scottish resistance against the English by joining with Scottish patriots, in particular William Wallace, until Wallace’s 1305 execution. At that point, Boyd became a staunch and trusted supporter of Robert the Bruce. In return for Boyd’s loyalty, in 1316 Robert the Bruce gifted Boyd with the Lordship of Kilmarnock. Captured in 1333, Boyd’s death saw his son Thomas take over the Lordship. Thomas built the original keep around 1350 and the Boyd family resided at Dean Castle until a devastating fire gutted it in 1735.

Although the castle was sold many times from 1746, it languished in ruins for a couple of centuries. Undertaking a massive restoration of the castle in 1908, the 8th Lord Howard de Walden completed this labor of love in 1946. In 1935 he added a gatehouse that had not existed previously and was careful to ensure that it was architecturally true to 16th century construction. The 9th Lord Howard de Walden donated this beautiful estate and the family’s incredible collections of weaponry, tapestries, and historical musical instruments to the people of Kilmarnock in 1975.

Opened to the public in 1976, Dean Castle Country Park has expanded and improved upon continually. There is a Pet Corner that is home to a wide variety of birds from ducks and geese to cockatiels. An assortment of animals, including sheep, guinea pigs, pygmy goats, rabbits, a Clydesdale horse, donkeys, and cows, call this home. Up close and personal encounters with the menagerie have delighted many a child. Also for the children is Adventure Playground. This is a place where a child’s imagination can run rampant and they will have the time of their life.

Dean Castle Country Park’s woodland walks are a favorite activity and five trails cover much of the acreage. The flora and fauna will enthrall you as you follow the trails that weave through the estate, taking advantage of the river, fields and woodlands. Each season brings with it ever changing plants and birds that you may spy along the trails.

Spending the day, or several days, at Dean Castle Country Park will heighten your appreciation of the area as well as stretch your budget to go further. An added benefit, if you have young children, is that they will have a great day out and be contented and exhausted at day’s end.