Best Practice Case Studies

Culzean Castle & Country Park, Ayrshire
- Educational use of the built and natural heritage

"The management approach at Culzean is integrating tourism and visitor infrastructure with the diverse heritage of the whole site."

Gordon Riddle, Country Park and Conservation Manager

Culzean Castle, located fifteen miles south of Ayr, is an awe-inspiring spectacle, sitting proudly atop 100ft cliffs that drop dramatically to the Firth of Clyde. The castle has been hailed as one of the finest Georgian castles in Scotland. Owned by the National Trust for Scotland (NTS), it sits in Scotland's first country park, created in 1969. It is both the stunning built heritage and the beauty of the surrounding country park, which attracts tourists to Culzean.

The grounds are part of the Maidens of Dunure Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), designated for the quality of the deciduous woodland and the geological features of the shoreline, such as the laval platforms. 

Integration of a diverse heritage
Gordon Riddle, Country Park and Conservation Manager, describes the management approach at Culzean as "integrating tourism and visitor infrastructure with the diverse heritage of the whole site." 

Culzean Castle was opened to the public in 1945 with the country park being created in 1969. Today sees Culzean as NTS's most popular property with about 200,000 visitors coming through the gates a year, with half of these visiting the castle during their visit.  Culzean is a unique example of built and natural heritage growing together.  A good illustration of this is through the restoration of historical buildings on the estate. The impressive visitor centre, which used to be the old farm, now contains information and exhibits, a restaurant and shop and is the base for the country park management team.  Not only is the environmental team housed in an historical building, but the site's environmental education centre is situated in what was once the old laundry house.

An educational use of built heritage
Culzean is exemplary in the education it offers to the younger generation. The staff at Culzean have secured a Sandford Award (an independently judged, quality assured assessment of heritage education in historic properties) for the quality of their heritage education.

About 17,000 school children visit Culzean every year to learn about the varied habitats around the country park and the history of the castle. There are twenty-five learning programmes, covering the coastal, wetland and woodland ecosystems that can be found at Culzean. There is also a Young Naturalist Club with about 300 members and a team of dedicated rangers who lead guided walks throughout the year.

Woodlands and wetlands
The grounds are managed to enhance the varied habitats on site, working to achieve a balance between the designed landscapes and wildlife. The woodland management on site is an excellent example of this, with a major restructuring programme underway to enhance the diversity of the habitat.  Thinning the trees to create glades has encouraged ground flora and butterflies while maintaining the landscape value of the woodland.  Invasives species such as rhododendron and western hemlock are controlled and a network of paths throughout the woods allow tourists to enjoy the red squirrels, roe deer and other wildlife that are thriving under the woodland management regime.

Visitors can also enjoy the wetland wildlife that the many ponds and lakes around Culzean attract. A hide with interpretation is provided beside the Swan Pond to allow people to watch the wildlife without disturbance. As the ponds can get overgrown with water lilies, staff work hard to keep the water open, which attracts ducks, swans and otters.

Monitoring and access
The highly committed rangers and forestry team continually monitor the impact visitors have on the natural heritage. Certain species, such as red squirrels, warblers and raptors are particularly good indicators of habitat quality and are surveyed regularly.

Good neighbours
The castle works hand in hand with its neighbouring farmers, supporting their conservation projects. Local farmer, Lord David Kennedy, is a 'silver lapwing' prizewinner for environmental agriculture practices. Farm management includes sowing an overwintering bird feed mixture in a large field on the estate and building two ponds adjacent to the site.

For further information, please contact:

Gordon Riddle
Country Park and Conservation Manager
Culzean Castle and Country Park
Maybole
Ayrshire
KA19 8LE

Phone: 01655 884 455
E-mail: culzean@nts.org.uk
Website: www.culzeanexperience.org

This case study features in the publication 'Greening Scottish Tourism: Linking the Built & Natural Heritage, 10 Best Practice Case Studies'.  You can download the full publication at the bottom of this page.

Case study added August 2005

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