Dunure Castle

Dunure Castle stands on a rocky headland on Scotland’s west coast, eight kilometres south of Ayr. The ruins overlook a small fishing harbour and the Carrick shoreline. Its oldest parts date from the late 13th century, though most visible stonework belongs to the 15th and 16th centuries. The Kennedys of Carrick became powerful here after receiving the lands in 1357. Mary, Queen of Scots, stayed for three nights in August 1563 during her royal progress. The name Dunure comes from the Gaelic for ‘hill of the yew tree’. The castle’s history includes a notorious episode in 1570. Gilbert Kennedy, 4th Earl of Cassillis, captured Allan Stewart, the Commendator of Crossraguel, and tortured him in the Black Vault. After two sessions of roasting his feet and body over a brazier, Stewart signed away abbey lands. He was later rescued by his brother-in-law and taken to the Cross of Ayr. The Earl was never fully punished despite Stewart’s lifelong injuries. Excavations in the 1990s revealed a 13th-century hall house beneath later buildings. Visitors today walk among thick keep walls and vaulted basements still standing five feet high. Two kitchens remain at ground level, one for the household and one for retainers. A detached wall may once have led to a gatehouse with a drawbridge. Below the castle lies Browney’s Cave, possibly a secret escape route. The late medieval dovecot, shaped like a beehive, once housed 200 nesting boxes. The Kennedy Park around the ruins offers paths and views over the Firth of Clyde.