Clifftop ruin
Greenan Castle
A ruined 16th-century tower house on the cliff edge at Doonfoot, looking out to Arran and Ailsa Craig.
Hidden gem
The site began as a fort for spotting enemies arriving by sea and became a motte-and-bailey in the 12th century. In the 15th century the Lords of the Isles built a tower house here, and it later passed to the Kennedys. Beside the ruin are traces of a walled courtyard.
In May 1602 Sir Thomas Kennedy rode out from this courtyard towards Edinburgh and was ambushed and killed in nearby woods, in revenge for a killing the year before. Sir Walter Scott turned the story into a short play, An Ayrshire Tragedy.
Walk south along the shore from Doonfoot. There is a car park on Greenan Road.
Nearby
Where this comes from
Listing data from OpenStreetMap, way 418903489, last edited 2 February 2026. Something wrong or missing? Fix it on OpenStreetMap and it shows here after the next update.