Yesterday dawned bright and sunny and being dedicated to the cause (the cause being to chase and hunt down castles, mansions and other really old buildings that are abandoned and in ruin and not necessarily on any formal list therefore not well known about or visited and usually involves research and maps that aren't readily available) [phew long sentence...] Anyhow, headed off fairly early to hunt down
Kenmure Castle. This Castle is not on Historic Scotland's list therefore it's popular with
castle chasers. Almost an hour later and a delightful drive through gorgeous countryside there she was! Once upon a time the extensive grounds and terraced gardens would have been stunning. The oldest part of the Castle dates from the 16th Century with extensive re-modelling in the 1800's which sadly masks a lot of the original stone structure. Both Mary Queen of Scots and Robert Burns visited the castle prior to a fire. It is believed the Castle (it's an
L shaped castle BTW) was finally abandoned in the 1950's. Kenmure Castle has a complex and fascinating history of which you can easily google search if it piques your interest.
... on the way to Kenmure Castle
... arrived at the entrance (it's clear that a farmer is leasing the grounds and running sheep) and, unlike the previous post at Barnbarroch Mansion where we had to chop down the brambles and thicket to gain access this was easy-peasy! Oh look! a teeny glimpse beyond the avenue of trees..we well may not have seen her if not for the winter- once magnificent walled and terraced gardens
much of the old tree avenues and terraces are still clearly visible
circular path wound its way around the whole castle so we took that access rather than the more easily accessible driveway
...snow-drops in bloom everywhere
...and don't be fooled by all that lovely sunshine - my hands were frozen blocks of human flesh
Fellow castle chaser takes the steep way, I took the long way around the winding road
I realised the sheep would also have free reign around the grounds of the castle itself, explaining why it's not completely overgrown.
Then, and now (within the courtyard area of the L shape (I wished I'd taken photos from exactly the same angle as yesteryear's)
then, and now
(all of the above and below is my fav area within the L shaped courtyard)
amazing spiral staircases
let's go around to another side of the castle ...
..... during the 18th C most of the castle was re-modeled and 'rendered' so to appreciate the astonishing stone work one must 'gingerly' step inside or ogle its beauty from the windows
.... at all times being conscious of the fragile nature of this structure and exercised extreme caution when 'gingerly' stepping in. I nabbed the ones above and Sidekick nabbed these amazing images below.
let's go around to the final side which overlooks a lot of the old garden
(Kenmure Castle is nestled on the western shores of the northern tip of Loch Ken)
... two black Labs enjoyed a splash in the loch
....and onward bound for Newton Stewart...with little stops here and there
...this road takes goes down a side of Clatteringshaw Loch - pretty
...
this requires further investigation on another sunny day
