MacLellan's Castle

PricingHalf price in your first year of English Heritage membership, then freeEH memberHalf, then freeNon-member£4.50

EH members: half price, then freeInfo

Half price, then free, for English Heritage members

This place is cared for by Historic Environment Scotland. First-year English Heritage members get 50% off the ticket price; members who have renewed get in free. Bring your valid membership card, and any pre-booked tickets, to ensure entry.

Pre-booking is recommended at Edinburgh Castle, Skara Brae, Stirling Castle, Blackness Castle, Urquhart Castle, Doune Castle and Maeshowe. Bookings are limited to six people per membership.
Bring the card itself: joint and family memberships admit the named holders only.
Historic Scotland does not offer reciprocal admission to National Trust properties, and a National Trust card is not accepted here.

More information

Entry

Non-member prices

Adult£4.50

Child (aged 7 to 15)£2.50

Concession£3.50

Pricing details

Price on site; tickets can currently only be bought on site, so English Heritage members show their card there. One undated price table is published for the April to September season; recheck on reopening in 2027. Up to two carers free per transaction. No family ticket, joint ticket or audio guide; not on the Explorer Pass list. English Heritage members: half price in your first membership year and free after your first renewal, on showing a valid card; bookings capped at six people per membership. Historic Scotland members free.

Price on site. English Heritage members: half price in your first membership year and free after your first renewal, on showing a valid card; bookings capped at six people per membership. Historic Scotland members free.

ParkingFree parkingFree for all visitors

No charge for anyone.

Parking details

Historic Scotland says free on-street parking is available near the castle and visitors can be dropped at the site gates. No car park is named; the council's Harbour Square car park (DG6 4HY), 145 m away, publishes no tariff. The nearest bike racks are at Harbour Square.

Driving pin: the castle gates on Castle Street, where Historic Scotland's own Google Maps link points, 14 m from HES's pin. Historic Scotland names no bus service, only its journey planners, and lists the site as accessible by public transport. NTS Broughton House is about 90 m away with its own admission.

About

MacLellan's Castle stands in the heart of Kirkcudbright, the grand townhouse of Sir Thomas MacLellan, Provost of the burgh, who began building on the lands of the old Greyfriars convent after the Reformation of 1560 and moved in by 1582. Five years later he and his second wife, Grissel, entertained James VI here. It was built for comfort rather than defence, with elaborate doors and windows, corbelled turrets and cannon-shaped water spouts, and its few gun holes were meant to warn off individuals, not armies. Above the vaulted kitchen and cellars lie about 15 family rooms and a great hall whose fireplace lintel is almost four metres long. Behind that fireplace hides a rare laird's lug, a secret closet where the owner could eavesdrop on his guests. The family's fortunes faded, the roof was stripped by 1742, and the castle came into state care in 1912. The kitchen is set out with figures and period equipment, and the MacLellan memorial is in Greyfriars Church next door.

ClosedPick a day for times and prices

Until 31 Mar: Closed
From 1 Apr: Daily 10:00–16:30, last entry 16:00

Today, Saturday 24 October

MacLellan's CastleClosed

Opening times may change at short notice.

1 April to 30 September daily 10am to 4.30pm; closed for lunch 12.30pm to 1pm; last entry 30 minutes before closing; closed 1 October to 31 March. Tickets can currently only be bought on site. No notice on 18 October 2026; access was limited by high-level masonry inspections from 2024, and in summer 2026 visitors still found scaffolding and only part of the castle open, so check before visiting in 2027.

The visitor centre is about 50 m from the site entrance along a smooth hard surface and the castle a further 50 m; the visitor centre and shop are step-free. The castle entrance has a stone threshold, the ground floor is mostly level with a reconstruction display in the kitchen and little natural light, and the first floor is up 17 steps with a single handrail and one stone step into the great hall. Toilets on site; the nearest adapted toilet is 350 m away at Harbour Square. Shop and picnic area; no cafe or audio guide. Dogs on leads, not in roofed areas.

Dogs: Dogs are allowed on a lead at all times but not in roofed areas, never left unattended, and owners must pick up after them. The site is open only 1 April to 30 September.

Photo: MacLellan's Castle's roofless tower house with its corbelled turrets, seen across the lawn under a summer sky. Parrot of Doom, CC BY-SA 3.0. Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:MacLellan%27s_Castle_exterior_2_August_2013.jpg. Licence: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0. Resized and cropped for display; derivatives retain the source licence.