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.
More information
In-person price, including Historic Scotland's boat across the River Dee to the island; £6.00 booked online. One undated price table is published; the season runs 1 April to 31 October, recheck in spring 2027. Children under 7 free but need a ticket; up to two carers free per transaction; Young Scot and National Entitlement Card holders pay £1 online. No separate boat fare, family ticket, joint ticket or audio guide. National Trust for Scotland cards are not accepted here. 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.
In-person price including the boat; £3.50 booked online; under-7s free with a ticket. 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.
In-person price including the boat; £4.50 booked online. 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.
The Trust's page does not say how parking is charged.
Historic Scotland says to allow 15 minutes to walk the 800 m from the car park to the boat jetty along a mostly level gravel path, that the level gravel car park has no accessible bays marked, and that the nearest toilets, including an adapted toilet, are by the car park. The car park is the National Trust for Scotland's Threave Nature Reserve car park, reached from the A75 roundabout opposite the B736 by following the signs for Kelton Mains or Threave Castle (NTS directions). No charge or free statement is published, so the status is recorded as unknown; Google lists free parking.
Driving pin: Google's Threave Castle Car Park listing, 12 m from the OpenStreetMap car park and 882 m from the castle on its island. The castle is about 2 miles from Castle Douglas. NTS's Threave Garden (a separate record with its own admission) is 1.2 km away by road; Historic Scotland names only its journey planners for public transport.
Threave Castle rises from an island in the River Dee near Castle Douglas, reached by Historic Scotland's passenger boat, summoned with a bell at the jetty. Sir Archibald Douglas, Archibald the Grim, Lord of Galloway, built it in 1369 as the stronghold of the Black Douglases, and died here in 1400. His tower house stands almost 30 m tall, as high as a ten-storey block, with walls 3 m thick, one of the first of its type in Scotland, on an island said to have been home to Galloway's rulers a thousand years ago. Around 1450 the 8th Earl added an innovative artillery wall that held off James II through a two-month siege in 1455, until the garrison was bribed to surrender. After years of closure the island reopened in 2026; the castle ground floor stays shut for conservation. Visitors enjoy the walk from the car park through the National Trust for Scotland's nature reserve, the crossing, and ospreys and otters on the river.
Prices, non-members
| Ticket | On the day | Online |
|---|---|---|
| Adult | £6.80 | £6.00 |
| Concession | £5.00 | £4.50 |
| Child | £4.00 | £3.50 |
1 April to 30 September daily 10am to 4.30pm, last outward boat 4pm; 1 October to 31 October daily 10am to 4pm, last outward boat 3.30pm; last entry 45 minutes before closing; closed 1 November to 31 March. The ticket includes the boat crossing to the island and is valid all day from 10am. Historic Scotland notice on 18 October 2026: 'Once on the island, visitors can explore the paths and enjoy the setting and atmosphere. The ground floor of the castle is closed while conservation work continues.'
Visitors must be able to climb the steps into and out of the small boat; the jetty is 800 m from the car park along a mostly level gravel path with easy-latch gates, then down six concrete steps. On the island paths are mainly grass, rising and falling, and the upper levels are reached by open-tread and narrow spiral stairs with handrails. The island has no toilets; toilets and an adapted toilet are by the car park; ticket kiosk and shop, picnic spots, no cafe on site.
Photo: Threave Castle's tower house on its island, seen across the River Dee through riverside branches. Tom Parnell, CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Threave_Castle_-_general_view_from_NE.jpg. Licence: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0. Resized and cropped for display; derivatives retain the source licence.
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Dogs, with restrictions
Easy 2 km loop of about an hour from the Threave Nature Reserve car park, with views of Threave Castle, the River Dee, wetlands, woodland and wildlife hides, passing the castle boat's mooring. Free; the reserve is open dawn to dusk all year; the crossing needs a Historic Scotland ticket.
