Built, destroyed, and rebuilt many times over its turbulent history, Brodick Castle is one of the Isle of Arran's most visited - and most spectacular - offerings.
Located just outside the port community of Brodick on the Isle of Arran, Brodick Castle was once one of three island strongholds, in concert with Lochranza and Kildonan. Of the three, Brodick Castle remains the best preserved, currently maintained by the National Trust for Scotland.
How to get to Arran
Arran is accessible through a 55-minute ferry crossing from Ardrossan to Brodick and also from Claonaig to Lochranza. The Ardrossan/Brodick ferry runs 4 or 5 times daily (depending on the weather and time of year) and can be booked in advance; the Claonaig-Lochranza ferry runs 10-12 times daily (closed in winter).
Hours of Operation
Brodick Castle is open daily from April - October from 11 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. For more information, call +44 1770 302202
The Castle History
Initially built sometime after 1266, the castle is a patchwork of structural changes, reflecting the years of war and clan battles and the subsequent rebuilding and changes of the castle.
Touring the Castle
Although the tour of the castle is self-guided, guides man most rooms of the castle, providing visitors with answers to any questions as well as trivia about the rooms and their former occupants. In addition to the guides, laminated information sheets placed in each room give trivia about the castle and the times - one sheet for adults, another sheet for kids. Tip: If you're a grownup, don't overlook the junior guides - there's lots of quirky, interesting material on them that didn't make the cut to the adult tip sheet.
You might want to purchase the National Trust for Scotland's guidebook to the castle (Brodick Castle, Country Park and Goatfell) as photography is not permitted within the castle. The guidebook is a good purchase, containing stellar pictures of the castle, along with detailed information about each room.
The self-guided tour proceeds in a logical sequence ending in the castle kitchen, one of our favourite parts of the castle. Below the castle is an old ice house - ice was take from the hills (or imported from Canada) during the winter months to be stored here.
The Castle Grounds
The castle gardens are among the most breathtaking aspects of the castle. Although not much is known about the earliest garden efforts of the castle, an inscribed stone at the north entrance identifies the current flower garden as being built in 1710.
Various geographic and climatic conditions on the island combine to encourage the growth of many exotic plants and trees and visitors during the summer will see rhododendrons (Brodick Castle is famous for them), various types of daisy-bushes, Oven's wattle, prickly moses, cabbage palms, watsonia, diascia, fairy foxglove, bay laurel (thought to be one of the original kitchen garden plants), gunnera manicata, cobra lilies, and many other species.
Don't miss the Bavarian Summer House, built in 1845 and with an elaborately decorated pine cone interior.
Last Stop
At the end of the castle tour, make a stop at the castle tearoom for cakes and tea.
