Ayrshire and Culzean

 If you should ever decide to holiday in Scotland I cannot recommend highly enough the joy of visiting Ayrshire in the autumn. I have lost count of the number of times we have visited at this time of the year or at least a few weeks later when we were more restricted by school half terms. Without fail on each occasion we have spent a day visiting Culzean Castle and gardens.


This glorious 260 hectare estate was once the playground of David Kennedy, 10th Earl of Cassillis – a man who was keen to impress with his wealth and status. Opulent to the extreme, the park is planted with conifers and beech, sculpted around miles of sandy coastline dotted with caves, and finished off with a swan pond and formal gardens and fruit-filled glasshouses (currently under refurbishment).

 The castle is splendid and the Adam staircase simply quite spectacular. The views out to sea and across the gardens are stunning while the collections are detailed and fascinating. However, most gardeners are naturally drawn outside into the gardens. They, of course, benefit from the warming westerly winds that blow across the waters of the firth. These in turn have been warmed by the North Atlantic Drift, the sea current which originates in the tropical latitudes around the Caribbean (a pity we do not feel any such benefit on the Pennines).

The gardens are largely formal in style, designed to create vistas viewed from the house or terraces. Some of the tree species are now of an age where their majesty provides the perfect framework. I particularly enjoyed the very large walled gardens, which are divided into two spaces, one which will be devoted more to providing produce, the other for relaxation, cut flowers and specimen plant types. The mild Ayrshire climate combined with the warming micro climate of the sheltering walls provide the opportunity for growing a plethora of exotics. The huge vinery along the Western side of the walled gardens was once able to produce enough wine for the estate, for locals and for nearby hotels and inns!
Hopefully, this will be fully restored again on our next visit.