Visiting a National Trust property always feels like a free day out when you're a member and the drive across the estate to the Castle was stunning. We even spotted a few deer and grouse in the deer park.
First stop was lunch in the visitor centre restaurant. It was a beautiful autumnal day so we decided to sit outside where we admired gorgeous views out to sea. The restaurant was extremely reasonable - I went for the most delicious homemade macaroni cheese which was piled high with salad and Steve ordered the slow cooked game stew with winter vegetables from the estate garden. The children picked lunch boxes filled with sandwiches, fruit pots, jelly sweets, yoghurt and juice and us grown ups couldn't resist trying a few tray bakes and a couple of bottles of fentimans. Our total lunch bill was just under £35 which was simply fantastic.
After lunch we walked through the woods for 10 minutes or so until we reached the Castle. The grounds are beautiful and very well kept. We had fun playing with the canons and looking out to sea where you could just about spot the Isle of Arran. Apparently the sea between Ayr and Arran is one of the best places to spot basking sharks! We didn't spot any today but had fun looking.
The Castle was very grand indeed and most of the original furniture and decor remains - unfortunately the National Trust of Scotland don't allow you to publish photographs of the Castle interior on any website so you will just have to take my word for it (or check out the Culzean Castle official website). The children were entertained with the task they had been given to hunt for a lego man in every room - some were easier to find than others! The staff were very obliging though and didn't seem to mind our three crazy children hunting high and low in every room and even provided us with a few hints.
Time had passed so quickly and it was already approaching 4pm. We wanted to make the most of our day so hopped in the car and travelled the few miles across the estate to the adventure playground and swan pond. It has to be said, the adventure playground is the best I have ever seen. Designed to replicate a castle it certainly inspired our children's imaginations as they launched into a full game of 'Kings and Queens'. They were lost in there for around an hour as we watched on. We could have stayed all day but unfortunately the sun was setting and it was time to leave :-(
We didn't get a chance to explore the walled garden or swan pond on our visit so we will definitely be back at some point in the future. I imagine the adventure play area is a lovely place to spend the day with a picnic in the summer.
