Description:

For some reason, I’m quite fond of it, but a visit to Cruggleton Castle can be a bit of a letdown, as there’s hardly anything left to see. A portion of a vault, propped up by an iron frame, catches your eye from a distance, while the rest is little more than rubble. The castle was built in the mid-13th century by Alena, daughter of Earl Alan, and the Earl of Winchester, and soon after passed into the hands of the powerful Comyns.

The Wars of Independence made sure that the Comyn's and English cause were ´temporarily´ lost and it was Edward The Bruce, brother to the king, who made very sure the Comyn's would never use Cruggleton again.

Years later, the Douglases took over the estate and what was left of the castle. They worked to restore it, holding onto the stronghold until James II once again reduced it to rubble. The fortunes of Cruggleton rose and fell like the tide. Countless sieges battered its walls, and by 1660 most of the castle had been dismantled for building materials.

A visit today offers the simple satisfaction of standing on a spot that played a small but turbulent part in the history of the southwest.