by Helen Westwood

The Castle is now a 4 star visitor attraction and the centre is a thriving hub for the local community, open 7 days a week throughout the year

ONE OF OUR long-term readers of the iScot Magazine, John Hunter-Paterson, recently contacted our Editor, as he was keen for people to hear the story about Dundonald Castle in South Ayrshire. We met with John in the Visitor Centre Café for a chat about the castle. I was busy stuffing a large spoonful of delicious raspberry cheesecake into my mouth and slurping my Earl Grey Tea when he walked in. He told me that he remembered the early days when there was no visitor centre on site. Cattle and wildlife roamed the fields around the ruins and the castle wasn’t even signposted for tourists to easily find. So many stories were hidden in the heart of Dundonald Castle, waiting to be told.

John, together with a group of like-minded enthusiastic people, set up the Friends Of Dundonald Castle (FoDC) which worked closely with Historic Scotland and the local Council to develop the site. John remembers the rail track which was built to get building materials up the hill and the scaffolding going up for the renovation work to be carried out. An impressive new visitor centre was built which now attracts tourists from all around the World.

Today, building on this success, the FoDC is run by a new dedicated and enthusiastic team, who bought the visitor centre through a successful Community Asset Transfer from South Ayrshire Council in 2021. The Castle is now a 4 star visitor attraction and the centre is a thriving hub for the local community, open 7 days a week throughout the year. The charity has ambitious plans to develop the site further to enhance the visitor experience and meet the needs of the local community.