CASTLES AYR

Greenan Castle, situated on a rocky crag 2.5 miles southwest of Ayr, is a dramatic 16th-century ruined tower house overlooking Ayr Bay and the Firth of Clyde. The castle occupies an ancient defensive position, built upon what was originally a promontory fort converted to a motte-and-bailey fortification in the 12th century. In the 15th century, the Lords of the Isles constructed the stone tower, which later passed to the Kennedy family, notable landowners and patrons of the region. An inscribed lintel marks the ownership of John Kennedy and his wife Florence in 1603. The castle gained literary fame when Sir Walter Scott drew inspiration from a tragic 1602 incident—the murder of Sir Thomas Kennedy and his servant—to write his play 'An Ayrshire Tragedy'. Now a scheduled monument under Historic Environment Scotland's protection, Greenan remains one of Scotland's most photographed ruins.

Dunure Castle is a ruined coastal stronghold located five miles south of Ayr near the village of Dunure in South Ayrshire, Scotland. A property of the Kennedys from the 14th century, the site dates to the late 13th century, with surviving remains from the 15th and 16th centuries. The castle features a keep of irregular shape perched on a precipitous rock with well-preserved basement vaults. Mary, Queen of Scots stayed at the castle in 1563, while a notorious 1570 incident involved the roasting of the commendator of Crossraguel Abbey to force the signing away of abbey lands. By 1694, the castle was wholly ruined; however, the remains have been stabilised and are now accessible to visitors.