Dunskey Castle

Dunskey Castle stands on a rocky promontory half a mile south of Portpatrick in Dumfries and Galloway. Its L-shaped ruin rises three storeys high, with walls nearly a metre and a half thick. A deep rock-cut ditch once defended the only approach, from the north-east. Nearby, the remains of a square watchtower cling to the cliff edge above the sea. Timothy Pont’s map of the 1580s shows two such towers facing Ireland across the water. The castle was begun in the 16th century by the Adair family on the site of a 12th-century stronghold. It appears in the 1456 Exchequer Rolls when Gilbert Kennedy briefly held its ward. In 1488 William Adair and his neighbour from Ardwell were attacked by the sheriff of Lochnaw, an event later settled before the Lords of Council. The castle was partly burned in 1489 by Sir Alexander McCulloch and later rebuilt. Visitors find a roofless shell of grey stone, its staircases and doorways still visible. The foundations of a south range lie open to the wind. On clear days the Irish coast can be seen from the cliff-top ruins. The site remains romantic, having featured in films such as Kidnapped and Double X. Public access is limited by the owner, preserving the solitude of this coastal landmark.