Ardwell / Doon Castle Broch

About Ardwell / Doon Castle Broch

Ardwell or Doon Castle broch occupies a dramatic location on the edge of cliffs, south of Ardwell Bay. It is accessed by a narrow rocky causeway which still requires careful negotiation and has two opposing entranceways built into the circular stone walls. Two concentric walls were usually built, housing a stair and forming a tall silo of stone, visible from miles around; in the case of Doon Castle, the stair is not evident. The occupants were Iron Age farmers. Stone brochs are unusual in Galloway, with another instance at Stairhaven on the Machars, but most are north of the Clyde. A recent community dig, led by AOC Archaeology, as part of the Rhins Revealed project, revealed a doorway with crevice for a bar to lock the door.
The broch is located along part of the Rhins of Galloway coastal path, which has spectacular views, wildlife and archaeological features all along its 83 miles. Nearby Ardwell beach is a magnificent setting for a picnic. Nearby you may visit Logan Botanic Gardens, with its collection of exotic plants, which thrive under the warming influence of the Gulf Stream.
On the road towards Ardwell Bay, it is highly recommended that visitors stop at the sign for the Kirkmadrine Stones - some of the most important Early Christian stones in the country, an early monastery of great sophistication, dating to the 6th Century CE, which opens up many tantalising questions about contacts and contrasts with the great Early Christian centre at Whithorn.