Buggy friendly walk (one steep uphill section)
Dog-friendly walk
Park at the main car park for Dean Castle Country Park, just off Dean Road, Kilmarnock (KA3 1XB). Kilmarnock bus and train stations are approx 1 mile away. Bus stop on Glasgow Road, a 5 minute walk away (buses from Glasgow and Kilmarnock).
View full route description
Start the walk from the far end of the main car park, next to the river. Follow the footpath alongside the Kilmarnock Water, reaching the stone bridge and waterfall at the top. Here you will be at a crossroads. Take the earth track straight ahead, continuing into the woods and uphill to the pinetum. Turn left at the end of the path and left again to circle round behind the pinetum. Ahead are the graves of the 8th Lord Howard de Walden, his wife Margherita, and the angel memorial to his mother, Blanche. Exit the graveyard and follow the path on your right leading downhill and emerging at the stone lions. Turn right to walk along the grass (can be muddy) and join up with a footpath. Turn left here towards the castle. At the end of the path turn right to pass the deer park and continue straight to return to the parking area.
WALK REPORT: 1st January 2017
Starting the New Year as I mean to go on….. with a walk 🙂 Funnily enough, on this very same day last year I was also in the Dean Park with my children, albeit doing a different route. Obviously a popular choice with me! Dean Castle County Park is much loved by the people of Kilmarnock. We are proud to have such a fantastic environment in which to spend time.
