Dundonald Castle is OPEN!


Friends of Dundonald Castle SCIO (SC031541) are delighted that Dundonald Castle, one of Ayrshire’s premier cultural attractions is now open. Dundonald Castle is the first partnership site to be reopened following the nationwide precautionary high-level surveys carried out by Historic Environment Scotland (HES) from June 2021. The castle is partially reopened allowing visitors back onto the grounds and inside the main laigh hall of the castle, with it’s magnificent 650 year old barrel-vault ceiling. Visitors to the castle are accompanied during their tour by one of FoDC’s many passionate and knowledgeable volunteer guides who bring the rich history of the site to life.


“As a key partnership site, our charity is extremely grateful to our colleagues at HES for prioritising the reopening of Dundonald Castle for all our community and visitors to enjoy. We are passionate about sharing our rich heritage with our visitors from home and abroad, as a much loved gem with a long and fascinating history spanning 3500 years. The castle also overlooks ancient woodland, containing SSSIs, and is situated on popular walking routes including the Smugglers’ Trail.”

FoDC’s General Manager, Dr Kirsteen Croll


After the hugely successful purchase of Dundonald Castle Visitor Centre via Community Asset Transfer from South Ayrshire Council in February 2021, the team at FODC, had continued to deliver services and support within our lively community hub. Open 7 days a week, we also host a number of popular weekly community clubs. The visitor centre museum is a great place to begin exploring the site’s long history before enjoying our newly launched menu in the coffee shop. We also have a small gift shop filled with lots of local suppliers, crafters and authors.

The FoDC team are excited to get back to our pre-covid delivery which saw us welcome over 25,000 visitors to the site in 2019. We have many exciting events to look forward to this year, including a return of the Three Inch Fools for their 4th year at Dundonald Castle, as they deliver their ever-popular theatre production of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night on Friday 15th July. Quantum Theatre will be hosting a fantastic family-friendly outdoor production of Peter Rabbit on Saturday 9th July. We are also delighted to again be co-hosting this year’s Dundonald Highland Games with Dundonald Games Society in August, as well as providing a limited number of intimate, bespoke wedding ceremonies throughout the year.

FoDC’s Education Programme has now moved back on site and welcomes 100+ education visits per year featuring tailored sessions designed for all age groups, and tied to the Curriculum for Excellence. For further details contact education@dundonaldcastle.org.uk. There’s so much to see and do during your visit to Dundonald Castle and it’s a great day out for the whole family.