Culzean Castle and Ailsa Craig

Psst... it's pronounced "Cul-EEN"...

We began this, our second regional tour of Scotland (feel free to read about our first tour, to the Highlands and Skye), with a visit to Edinburgh to view displays of the Scottish literary ingenuity of Robert Burns, Walter Scott and Robert Louis Stevenson at the Writers’ Museum in Edinburgh, as well as the architectural ingenuity of the new Scottish Parliament building. We then stopped to see modern Scottish ingenuity in action — the Falkirk Wheel, which can lift and lower up to eight canal boats at a time, 100 feet in 5 minutes, to connect two parts of a canal without using locks — all with the same amount of electricity as would be needed to boil water in 8 teakettles.

On the southeast coast, we saw Siccar Point, where James Hutton, the father of modern geology, proved that the earth was older than 6000 years. Hutton was a part of the late 18th-century Scottish Enlightenment, when Scottish innovators set the stage for modern life by rethinking philosophy (David Hume), economics (Adam Smith), sociology (Adam Ferguson), and other major areas of study. They also invented mechanical transportation (steamboats), asphalt roads, rubber tires, raincoats, refrigerators, flush toilets, and later on, the pedal bicycle, telephone, television, and ATM.

While we were recently discussing Ellisland, the farm of Robert Burns, another Scottish innovator was lurking in the background — Burns’s landlord, Patrick Miller. In 1788, he designed a pontoon boat driven by steam, possibly the first mechanical form of transportation. As Miller struggled with his invention, he consulted with several other Scottish inventors, including James Watt. Watt was the fellow who developed the efficient steam engine that basically kickstarted the Industrial Revolution. (We could now honor/dishonor him as the “father of climate change”!)

John Murdoch was another important Scottish scientist/inventor but was not credited for much of his work, mainly because he was more interested in creating things than patenting them. Some of his work provided essential tweaks to the design of steam engines, which James Watt used to finalize his revolutionary (multiple puns intended) machine.

One of Murdoch’s ideas was to create gas out of coal. Flammable gas was produced when, instead of burning coal, it was heated without access to air. This coal gas was then developed for use in lamps in homes and streets. Apparently, Murdoch tested his coal gas idea in sea caves, of which there are many along the southwest coast of Scotland, just 25 miles from his home. It’s not unlikely that he used some of the caves underneath the estate at Culzean (pronounced cull-EEN), where there is now a display honoring Murdoch at the Culzean Gas House. Here, a gas manager was employed to maintain a supply of coal gas for lighting Culzean Castle, starting in the 1840s.

One of Scotland’s most popular tourist sites, as well as a local destination for families and hikers, Culzean Castle and its surrounding public country park was originally owned by the Kennedys, one of Scotland’s oldest clans, with connections stretching back to Robert the Bruce.

The castle was designed in the late 1700s by another influential Scottish innovator, this time in the field of architecture — Robert Adam. It is a fantasy castle, with crennelated turrets and walls, and as you can see below, palm trees at its base. To the right is a photo of the castle through the ruins of an archway that was actually designed that way by Adam, to make the place look more ancient and nostalgic!

The vast castle grounds also feature walking trails, large walled gardens, shops (which used to be stables), playgrounds, an aviary and a deer park.

Inside the castle itself are many sumptuous rooms and lots of artwork, including paintings of various Kennedys, a famous painting of Napoleon and some artifacts of his wife Josephine. The oval staircase designed by Robert Adam is a proud feature.

One of my favorite framed works there (pictured below), is a very large document obtained by an influential Kennedy who traveled to Rome. Apparently he paid the Vatican enough money to buy guaranteed entrance to heaven for himself and 75 of his friends. What I found most amusing was that some of the names of his (former) friends had been crossed off. Sadly, they must have done something disagreeable and lost their chance at eternal bliss. What a great way to win friends and influence people!

Just outside the castle is a courtyard and a walkway by the sea with impressive walls and a few threatening mortars pointing out to sea.

From this vantage point can be seen the island Ailsa Craig, which looks like a giant boulder looming in the sea. The microgranite of Ailsa Craig is the source of all quality curling stones. It was formed 340 million years ago from volcanic eruptions, just like Bass Rock, which we visited up close on a boat trip near the beginning of this trip. From Bass Rock on the east coast to Ailsa Craig in the west, we’ve now traveled the breadth of southern Scotland, from coast to coast.

Both islands are bird sanctuaries hosting thousands of gannets and other seabirds. They may seem a similar size when viewed from shore, but Ailsa Craig is about 30 times bigger by area, and three times taller. It's also 9 miles out to sea, while Bass Rock is only a mile away. Although it has its own Gaelic name, the popular name Ailsa Craig is an anglicized version of the Gaelic words for “fairy rock.”

Our next stop will be just 12 miles north of Culzean Castle, to the city of Ayr, and the birthplace of Robert Burns.