Cardoness Castle

PricingFreeFree for all visitors

Free entry for everyone

Entry

Free for everyone

Pricing details

Free entry for everyone; no membership card is needed.

ParkingParking not known

The Trust's page does not say how parking is charged.

Parking details

Historic Scotland: 'The level tarmac car park has accessible bays marked.' It sits beside the visitor centre cottage at the foot of the rocky mound, off the B796 about a mile south-west of Gatehouse of Fleet. No charge or free statement is published, so the status is recorded as unknown.

Driving pin: the castle car park, 81 m north-east of Historic Scotland's own pin on the tower. Historic Scotland says the castle is about a 20 minute drive from Castle Douglas via the A75 and gives journey planners only.

About

Cardoness Castle stands on a rocky mound above the Water of Fleet at Gatehouse of Fleet, a six-storey tower built in the later 1400s for the McCullochs, a lawless Galloway family. Gilbert McCulloch acquired the estate about 1460; legend says the previous laird and eight of his nine daughters drowned on a frozen loch celebrating the birth of a son. The tower is like a smaller Threave, plain outside but well planned within, with walls two and a half metres thick, keyhole gun holes and a two-storey pit prison, one of the best surviving in a Scottish tower house. In 1501 Ninian McCulloch stole 1,500 beasts from his own mother, and later Godfrey McCulloch shot John Gordon and was beheaded on the Maiden, Edinburgh's guillotine. Red squirrels feed in the grounds. The tower interior is closed for conservation; the grounds and small visitor centre open Thursday to Saturday until the end of October, then close for the winter, so reviewers suggest phoning before a visit.

Check today’s timesPick a day for times and prices

Until 4 Nov: Thu–Sat 10:00–16:00, last entry 15:30
5 Nov–31 Mar: Closed
From 1 Apr: Thu–Sat 10:00–16:30, last entry 16:00

Today, Saturday 24 October

Cardoness Castle10:00 – 16:00last entry 15:30

Free entry

Opening times may change at short notice.

1 April to 30 September: Thursday to Saturday 10am to 4.30pm; 1 to 31 October: Thursday to Saturday 10am to 4pm; closed Sunday to Wednesday; last entry 30 minutes before closing; closed 1 November to 31 March. Historic Scotland: 'Visitors can explore the grounds, see the exterior of the castle and learn more about the castle's history in the visitor centre. The interior of the castle is currently closed due to ongoing conservation work.' No reopening date for the tower. Entry is free; phone 01557 814 427.

The six-storey roofless tower stands on a rocky mound above the visitor centre, a former custodian's cottage with ramped access to its reception. A June 2026 reviewer found the site shut on an advertised open day, so it is worth calling ahead. Red squirrels are often seen feeding in the grounds.

Photo: Cardoness Castle's six-storey tower house rising behind the walls of its outbuildings, a saltire flying beside it and trees around the lawn. Tom Parnell, CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cardoness_Castle_-_general_view_from_E.jpg. Licence: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0. Resized and cropped for display; derivatives retain the source licence.