Culzean Castle Visit

Today I visited Culzean Castle near Ayr, a property owned by the National Trust For Scotland. For those not familiar with Culzean it was featured in The Wicker Man as Lord Summerisle’s (played by Christopher Lee) castle. This is one of those places its just nice to be and there are fine views of the coast from the castle ramparts.

The main attraction for me though was the Castle gardens. They are very well tended as one might expect and the abundance of flora is a delight for the amateur gardener and photographer. What I like about Culzean is that the Castle deflects a lot of the wind coming from the west which makes getting sharp flower photos much easier. 

The day was fairly overcast but this can make things easier for photography as it softens the shadows around the flower and renders quite flattering results. I found a number of posy specimens raring to have their photos taken. Of these my favourites on the day turned out to be a small rose, a pompon dahlia, a Hemerocallis (Daylily) and something as yet unidentified. The Painted Lady butterfly was in attendance, fluttering her lashes enticingly but continuing to frustrate by fluttering off at the point of capture. When I say capture I mean photo capture not with a net. Butterflies should be free not in a specimen book.

There were a few tourists around today. The more the merrier as Scotland needs the spondoolies at the moment. One or two American accents as Eisenhower stayed here during the War. This was my first trip put for a while as I’ve spent most of the summer archiving and cataloguing my collection gathered during the previous three years. I made a firm decision to make sense and rationalise the collection rather than allow it to become bloated and unmanageable by taking more and more pictures.

Photo Tip For The Day

So this is my tip for today to those budding flower togs out there. When you get home after a day in the field sort your photos asap and get them into order. Otherwise you’re gonna be left with a huge bundle and a lot of hard work. I will be posting a few of my shots from today’s field trip along with some technical data in the next day or so.

Summary

Culzean is worth visiting for the gardens and the heritage. It is a bit expensive for entry at the main gate and could be cheaper but if you walk along the coastal path from nearby Maidens then you simply walk into the grounds for free. There is a lot of history to the place whether it be Eisenhower’s apartment or a sa movie location. It is a very tranquil and relaxing place and so you should come here to chill out. Refreshments are available at 3 sites within the Castle grounds. Quality is good but at a slight premium. You may want to bring your own packed lunch.

Marks Out Of 10

Gardens 8.5/10

Flower Variety 7/10

Facilities 8/10

Refreshments 7.5/10

Next Visit - Threave Gardens

Watch out for my next visit to another National Trust property Threave Gardens in Dumfries and Gallloway. This site is aimed purely at the gardening buff so the visitor experience is reflected in the flower varieties and the overall ambience created by the garden architecture. I will be sure to give you my unbiased review and photo samples from the visit. Cheero!