Winter walk in Culzean Castle estate. December 2011

Looking over to a snow capped Isle of Arran.

A victim of last weeks storm.

A Pagoda House. (see text)

A very peaceful swan pond.

One of many wooden sculptures.

The cat gates. (see text)

The teacher with one of the cats.

Another tree lined avenue!!

The branch actually grows on these two trees.



The Kennedy memorial to Marquiss of Ailsa.

 Today Thursday 15 December I met up with the teacher at the Maidens for a walk round Culzean Castle estate. On a cold clear winters morning we set off along the shore to enter the estate by way of a cliff path which gave us some wonderful Christmas card scenes of the Island of Arran with  all the mountains covered in snow.We then visited the Pagoda House which my learned friend informed me is the name of a Japanese house alternatively to learn more you could visit the web site  where a full detailed description is available.From here we walked through an area called happy valley which is adorned with wooden sculptures until we reached the cat gates or Swinston Gates as they were once known. This was once the main gate to the castle itself with its wonderful tree lined avenue which  carried the stately carriages into the estate.We now headed over to the castle where in amongst the trees we came across a small cemetery where many of the Kennedy family are interred it was only because it was winter today that we actually spotted it as in the summer it is all overgrown and not visible to the passer by.Lunch was taken at the castle viewing point which looks out over the bay to the Maidens where one of our walking group was attending a book club lunch in the well known seafood restaurant situated beside the harbour. We did  think of visiting her to see if there was any lobster left but thought better of it as we were not properly attired to join such a prestige group of Troons finest ladies.After we had finished our cheese pieces we walked around the swan pond before making our way back to the cars to end a super day out in the sunshine visiting parts of Culzean neither of us had ever been to.