Brodick Castle Gardens and Country Park

Close on 2mi/3km north of Brodick stands the red-sandstone Brodick Castle. It was once the home of the dukes of Hamilton and is now owned by the National Trust for Scotland.

Originally built in the 13th C to defend the Clyde estuary it has undergone many changes since, with the most recent alterations taking place in the middle of the 19th C. Six paintings by James Pollard hang in the Victorian entrance hall, while the chambers upstairs, designed by James Gillespie Graham, contain a fine collection of period furniture, silver, porcelain and ivory, together with more paintings, including sketches and portraits by Thomas Gainsborough, landscapes by William Turner and two pictures by Antoine Watteau. Colorful rhododendron bushes, azaleas, magnolias and some rare trees flourish in the extensive parkland.