There are fantastic fully guided tours available with our knowledgeable Head Gardener and clan Chief John MacArthur of that Ilk.

We offer several different catering options for groups from tea/coffee and cake to hot and cold buffets. It is recommended that you book your catering in advance.

There is a 10% discount on the entry fee for groups of more than 20 people.

Coach drop-off points are at the entrance to the Gardens with parking nearby across the Canal.

To book a group tour please call 01776 702 024 or email marketing@castlekennedygardens.com.

Group Visit Comments

Myerscough College

Thank you for your assistance in organising our recent visit to Castle Kennedy Gardens, in April. We all felt most welcome and found it so enjoyable.

A particular thank you to Head Gardener John MacArthur for his time as we appreciate he will be a very busy man; the talk was really interesting, something for everyone – the arborists, landscapers and horticulturalists.

Castle Kennedy Gardens seemed to be a favourite garden on the tour for many of our students, it opened their eyes to gardens on such a scale. John also stimulated much interest in the Professional Gardeners’ Guild for students looking for traineeships.

The Lakeland Rhododendron Camellia & Magnolia Society

On behalf of our society may I thank you so much for giving us such a fascinating tour of the garden at Castle Kennedy in May. Our members thoroughly enjoyed the variety of plants in the gardens and we were lucky that there were so many of the rhododendrons in full bloom.

We could have been with you all day and that wouldn’t have been long enough to appreciate everything the gardens have to offer. We must have another visit.

Friends
OF THE ULSTER MUSEUM

Thank you very much for organising our visit to Castle Kennedy Gardens last Thursday in May. Our tea and cakes were excellent. The talk by John MacArthur of that Ilk was greatly appreciated by the Friends, including the explanation of his title, which was new to most of us. Please thank him on our behalf.

We all found the gardens magnificent, further advanced than other gardens perhaps because of your proximity to the sea or the shelter of your fine trees. I now wish that I had allowed a great deal more time to do the gardens justice. However, many of our members drive to Scotland quite often, and I am sure they will visit again.

Please thank Lord and Lady Stair for keeping the gardens open for us till 6.30pm, and congratulate them on preserving one of the finest gardens we have ever enjoyed.

Chairman