Walk 125 – Ayrshire Coastal Path: Maidens – Culzean – Dunure (7 miles)

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A fantastic coastal walk between the harbours of Maidens and Dunure. Enjoy the clifftop views of the more rugged sections of coastline around Culzean Castle & Country Park and the fields just south of Dunure. You will even pass directly in front of the incredible 18th century Culzean Castle, as well as the remains of Dunure Castle - which dates back as far as the 1200s! 

DIFFICULTY RATING: moderate. A mix of good firm sandy beaches and rocky beaches, sometimes with seaweed for a short stretch, which can make things slippery. Woodland earth paths inside Culzean Castle Country Park – if following the cliff walk these can be uneven due to tree roots and also moderately hilly by nature. Steep walk up Hairpin Brae to grassy field-edge tracks which are uneven in places and can be hard-going or very easy depending when they were last mown. Boggy in places. Several kissing gates. High possibility of livestock, normally sheep. One footbridge with steps down onto it. On approach to Dunure there is a set of steps with no handrail and some of the steps are quite deep.

**It is important to check tide times before setting off on this walk: for 2 hrs either side of a high tide Isle Port, at the north end of Croy Shore, is usually impassable**

Dog-friendly walk (Note sheep sometimes in clifftop fields – please be a responsible walker)

  Car park at Maidens Harbour and Kennedy Park Dunure (chargeable, seasonal). Bus services to Maidens and Dunure (but not directly between the villages, need to go via Ayr).

Toilets options on this route: Ropes Bistro at Maidens Harbour, Culzean swan pond, Culzean Castle, Kennedy Park Dunure (check opening times and charges on the SAC website)

ACPlogo Purchase the official Ayrshire Coastal Path Guide Book

Maidens to Dunure

WALK REVIEW: 10th April 2017 & 13th October 2024

When walking this route alone, the Maidens Harbour to Culzean Castle section took me just over one hour to walk. From there it was just over 2 hours into Dunure. Walking with a group, with lots of stops to talk about points of interest along the way, and you can add a couple of hours extra on to that!

There is an excellent free car park at Maidens Harbour right beside the start point of the walk. From here you can see the terrace of Ropes Bistro, up on the hillside. Ropes kindly offers the public use of their toilets during opening times, and comes highly recommended for a pre-walk coffee or lunch if you are starting later in the day.

Two swans swimming across the flat calm water of Maidens harbour, with several small boats moored to the left.
The pier at Maidens Harbour was built by the chief of the Kennedy Clan in the 1800s to serve a nearby shipyard. In the 1950s improvements were made by local fishermen, who raised the money by selling baskets of fish for one old penny! It is now managed by Maidens Community Harbour Trust who have made further improvements such as the picnic area.
Hand painted signage at Maidens Beach reading 'Leave Nothing But' then a painting of some footprints.
Maidens Beach, or Maidenhead Bay to give it its Sunday name, offers easy walking along golden sand to Culzean Castle Country Park.

The official (and therefore signposted) route of the Ayrshire Coastal Path comes off Maidenhead Bay at Hogston Burn where the caravan park ends, and heads all the way along ‘Long Avenue’ until you reach the castle. My personal preference is either to follow Long Avenue only until the Swan Pond (where there are toilets!), then head up onto the cliff walk, or alternatively, to stay on the beach until reaching the north end of the bay where there is a boardwalk and some steps up onto the cliff walk, also leading you to the castle. Far more exciting! I tend to favour less populated routes, and with today being a sunny bank holiday weekend I knew that the ‘easier’ trails would be busy. Another reason for choosing the cliff walk.

A beautiful woodland walk with many ancient trees, in particular some old oaks which grow outwards rather than upwards – the subject of many a family photo over the years! Thanks to the elevated position of the cliff walk, on a clear day you’ll be rewarded with stunning views across the glimmering silver water to Ailsa Craig.

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View looking north from the Cliff Walk within Culzean Castle & Country Park

Culzean Castle is of course one of the big highlights of this walk! You can’t help but be blown away by its elegance, its size and its history. On this walk you get to see the structure from pretty much every angle!

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Set within almost 600 acres of countryside, Culzean Castle is the former home of the chief of Clan Kennedy. It is now owned by the National Trust for Scotland.

Before leaving Culzean Castle and Country Park there is one more historical building to note – the Gas House. This was where Culzean’s Gas Manager would have worked, turning coal into gas for heating and lighting. I have read that the same man worked here as Gas Manager for several decades, and lived in the cottage next door with his family! Both the cottage and Gas House are now small museums and when open offer a fascinating insight into the history of and process behind gas production.

Group of walkers heading down some steps towards Culzean's Gas House. Ahead of them, through some trees, is a beautiful view north along the sandy Culzean Bay
One of my groups heading down towards the Gas House, its chimney towering above the bay.

Despite countless visits to Culzean as a child I can’t ever remember walking on the beach north of the castle, so on my first adventure along the Ayrshire Coastal Path here back in April 2017, I was really looking forward to that part. I had it pretty much to myself that day and wandered along taking time to enjoy the views.  Culzean Castle looked even more grand from this angle, perched on top of the cliff at the end of the bay.

View across flat calm water of Culzean Bay towards the elegant Culzean Castle, perched on the clifftops. There are lots of wading birds in the water, and the castle's reflection.
Don’t forget to look behind you! Because from this angle you get a fantastic view of the castle, and also the cliffs beneath it. At low tide with a bit of a scramble over the rocks, it is possible to explore some of the caves. These are thought to have been used by Smuggler’s back in the 17th and 18th centuries! Culzean Bay is normally sheltered from our prevailing SW winds and as such is popular with a number of wading bird species such as Grey Heron, Oystercatchers and Redshank.

Stopping to take a few photos I suddenly realised that my sunglasses were no longer hooked onto my t-shirt collar. My Ray-Bans! I knew they had been there when I came down onto this beach at the Gas House because I distinctly remembered patting my chest to check and thinking to myself that I would be best to move them from there before they fell…… I paced that beach back and forth at least four times and could not find them 🙁 I was gutted! Have you ever tried to re-trace your steps on a soft sandy beach?? It is pretty difficult! Lesson learned….

Blocks of yellow sandstone on Culzean Bay
Further along sand gives way to rocks for a short stretch, making the going a bit tougher. In this photo you can see blocks of yellow sandstone strewn across the bay. My understanding is that yellow sandstone is much older, and harder, than its better-known red cousin. Also visible to the right of this photo are densely vegetated marine cliffs, thought to be one of the best known examples of its kind in SW Scotland. As such this whole stretch of beach forms part of a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).

There is one part of this route which you must avoid for 2 hours either side of a high tide and that is the outcrop immediately north of Croyburnfoot Caravan Park. Listed on OS maps as Isle Port, the rocks here are impossible to get around at high tide, with water coming up to waist height at its peak. At low tide, when you can simply wander along firm sand, you’d have no idea that it could change so much! Check tide times at tidetimes.org.uk.

Firm sandy beach with large rocks to the right
Isle Port approx 3 hours after high tide – easy walking
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Can you spot the way-marker?? Approx half a mile along from Croyburnfoot caravan park the route heads up onto the clifftops to miss out a more rugged section of coastline. First up is the Hairpin Brae (by name and by nature!) – part of an old Post Road between Glasgow and Portpatrick.

The next section takes you across the edge of some farmland, which can at times host sheep or crops. Usually the field-edge is kept “mown” by the land manager (who is also a Path Warden on this section of Ayrshire Coastal Path) so it never gets too overgrown. Again, the views were just spectacular from up there and I really got a sense of how vast an area this is and just how remote and rugged the coast is. I also pondered how lucky the farmers here are to have THAT view at their work!!

View down to Croy Shore from the clifftops - a sandy bay backed by lushly vegetated cliffs.
View from the clifftops, looking back along Croy Shore. Ailsa Craig visible to the right.
Field of barley with a grassy path mown along the edge
Freshly mown field-edge path, high up on the clifftops.
Group of walkers standing around the base of a brick observation tower overlooking the Firth of Clyde near Dunure
Up on the clifftops you will come across this WWII observation tower used to track practising torpedo bombers from RAF Turnberry. It may look an idylic spot today, however consider that during those training exercises 172 airmen lost their lives from crashes into the sea, beaches and surrounding countryside. A memorial to them can be found on Turnberry Golf Course.

From the observation tower it is only a short 20 minute walk to Dunure through the Millennium Woods. The ruins of Dunure Castle come into view on the approach to Kennedy Park, and is a fine ending to this walk. If you have time I highly recommend visiting the castle – you will find information boards explaining some of the history of the building, and a special staircase inside it allows visitors to climb to the upper floor and take in the stunning coastal views.

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Having been a ruin for at least the past 400 years, Dunure Castle was once the main fortress of the Kennedy family . It is reputedly where Alan Stewart, Commendator of Cossraguel Abbey, was roasted alive by Gilbert Kennedy in the 1500s, all in a dispute over land! Unbelievably he lived through the ordeal.
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The fishing village of Dunure ahead, its small harbour marking the end of this route.

Dunure village also has its very own labyrinth – can you find it?! Public toilets are available in Kennedy Park (seasonal, charges apply). Why not head to the Harbourside Cafe for some refreshments at the end of your walk, I can personally recommend it!

Go to: next section Dunure to Ayr
Go to: previous section Girvan to Maidens
Go to: full Ayrshire Coastal Path review

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