Dean Castle & Country Park Visitor Centre and Cafe in Kilmarnock

Havent been in the castle, but the grounds are lovely for walking.Tea room too.

Should be great once it opens for tours, small cafe does a nice job, best coffee i had in Glasgow area

Plenty of trails to wander. Again for me, a nice cafe to round your day off.

The castle wont open until April 2023, but we had vegetarian soup at the cafe that was great and the folks there were so nice. The grounds are so beautiful!! Stunning! I heard that Outlanders was filmed on the ground, though I havent confirmed. Theres a fun looking playground and a restroom. Youll find a duck pond with geese too. Please do not feed them bread!!!! Give them oats or peas. Its a beautiful walk and youll see folks walking their dogs, stopping for a chat. We saw a gent with 2 dogs that looked like Carl from UP. I hope hes a regular and you run into him. Im supposed to be packing to leave, but I dont want to (pack and leave). Im grateful that I got to visit and I hope you have a magical time as did I. Oh! Deer!!

So dog friendly that most people let their dogs off in the carpark. It is a very popular place

Brilliant walk with my dog, lots of animals to see for the kids and history. Great cafe with fantastic service

Lovely place, lots of wildlife you can see whilst walking around the park. Castle wasnt opened but hopefully not be long until the public are allowed back in

Great for dog walking, can be a bit hilly in places, good for the auld legs.

Beautiful park, stunning castle, on-site cafe great with outside seating area too, staff very friendly and helpful x

We used to go here frequently with the kids when we lived in East Kilbride and they loved it. This was the first time wed been back in at least 20 years. Its still a beautiful location and a pleasant place to visit, but its no longer a great place to take kids. A lot of the attractions have gone and the petting zoo is completely gone. We would often spend the entire day there but there just isnt enough there now.

Being from Campbeltown, a fair bit away, I never knew this place existed! So glad I took the time to go.There’s two areas, both massive. They both have kids entertainment. There’s a cool petting zoo with pigs although we didn’t get to touch them as we went just after 8pm. It’s a lovely walk and we all enjoyed it. Will be going again tomorrow early noon for a better look.The only downfall I had was of the dragon sculpture made out of metal as it’s rusted and someone could easily get hurt on it.

Vast area, well maintained, beautifully wooded, lovely farm area with deer, sheep, goats, pigs, donkeys and horses.Plenty water for dogs to play in... they loved it and so did we.Cafe and kiosk very reasonable too

Great place to walk. Pathways and grounds are well maintained. Parking is available. Cafe and information centre near the main entrance to the Park.Prepackaged sandwiches, snacks and soft drinks are available. Staff also serve freshly made soup, tea and coffee. The cafe and facilities are clean. Staff in the centre are approachable and customer service is very good.Some maintainance to the castle and grounds is taking place. The castle and some paths are not currently accessible. A visit to East Ayrshire Councils website should reveal information about ongoing work and projected completion dates.

deer up close at carpark. Excellent walking with wLkways leading into water to feed geese, ducks and moorhens. Castle being upgraded but good cafe/visitor centre. Excellent coffee indoors or out side over looking Castle and the deer. Short znd longer walks round the estate.

A great day out with the kids and grand kids, plenty to see and do.There were, deer,pigs even a heron on the lake, a kids play area. The weather was good and there was plenty of space to sit and eat a picnic. Definitely going to go back and do some walking,

I took my neice and nephew up to take part in the treasure hunt with the park rangers and they had a great time. Was a lot of fun. Afterwards we had a picnic at the play park and then went down to the rivers edge and the kids had a great time paddling and skimming stones. Such a great day out. Thank you very much to the park rangers and looking forward to the den building and raft building days out

Public park, free to enter and enjoy. Historic castle (currently having repairs done), variety of woodland trails and animals to visit. Newly refurbished play park and visitor centre. Plenty of open grass around front of Castle for families to use for playing games and picnics.Nice cafe too at reasonable prices.A park for all seasons

What a wonderful park this is. Large and expansive with stunning views from every angle. Two rivers join in the park and the both have interesting water courses. There is a simple (and cheapcafe on site. Along with activities for the kids. The animal bit looked a bit neglected but I suspect that is just post C19. Free entry and lots of different walks/routes through the landscape.

This park was great. Attracts a lot of people and is very welcoming. Loads of different trails to walk on and different terrain. Great for dog walking or tiring the children out. Loved it

Lovely Sunday walk through the country park. Not much to do but scenery lovely and deers out in full force. Didnt use the cafe but saw they had outside seating. Plenty of parking spaces.

Dean Castle, under restoration is in a beautiful setting in the Heart of Kilmarnock!

Best park in Kilmarnock to visit, has great walking trails along forest, water and animals such as deer, sheep, goats, pigs, swans, ducks and horses. Many different types of birds too. Has a great cafe to sit in or out with its outside courtyard. Has a great historical story with the grounds and castle.also has a playpark for kids and many benches and grass areas for sitting and having a picnic. Great place for dog walking too, I take my dog all the time.

ParkingFree to enterNice walksPlenty seatingDeer park and interesting historical info boards

What a beautiful place. Sadly, the kids park was out of bounds when we visited, but there was still plenty to keep us interested. Im on crutches, and really had to walk a lot (too much actuallyafter parking the car. It would be useful if we could maybe hire disability scooters? The disabled toilet was impressive, with a hoist & shower, and changing table for larger kids/adults. The wee cafe is quite reasonably priced which we appreciated. Wed definitely recommend a visit, esp on a dry day! Take some bird seed, or grapes for ducks. ❤

Once the castle reopens it will be more attractive. And the small animals have been moved from pens to to repair surrounding area after storm. Enjoyed a walk and saw water birds and deer and new lambs. Lovely service in the cafe for lunch. Grandson enjoyed his day out and shot on the swing.

It was a fantastic sunny day and we thought we would go a walk to Dean Park. On arrival we went to the cafe for lunch and a drink which was excellent. We then left the cafe to go on our adventure, seeing the animals, playing in the park which was clean and tidy, having lots of fun in the process. Will definitely be back keep up the great work everyone. Thank you.

Great place for walks and plenty of wildlife about. Some in enclosures and some not.

Nice Park and castle (not open as major work on-going). Lots of paths in the woods and dog friendly too, including the cafe outside seating area.

We only visited here to break up a journey but looks like a fab place to go regularly. Loads of space, walks, a kids playground, pigs, ducks, deer and squirrels. Wish we had more time to explore. The castle itself was closed. I would love to see around it!

Stunning place to view and whatever mode of transportation you use a cycled however majority of visitors walk

Lovely place for a walk, chill with family have a picnic an walk your doggie, nice wee cafe too, castle close for renovation which a shame.

Lovely place for a wander around, especially if the weather is nice. Stopped off here with the tribe for a few hours, and managed to see some deer. Good playpark for the young ones

The park is so lovely and the playground is great but maybe better suited for older kids. Lovely river as well with a few spots that are safe to sit and throw stones in (closest to the car park).We arrived at 10:30am when all the animals were getting fed so we got to see the deer up close. Then headed to the pigs and the playground and then onto the farm trail (we followed the sign posts for the countryside trail taking us behind the playground to see the animals). We saw goats, sheep, donkeys and horse and they were all being fed so were close to the fence.We took the dog and the animals were all behind fencing so he was fine but we kept him on the lead when we were close to the animals but id say this was optional.

History and wildlife, a big old castle and a modern new Visitor and education centre with a cafe. Beautiful nature Walks around the woods and two rivers trails. Free entrance and parking.Bring your camera.

Loved it. So much to do and see. There are different walks in the park. You have the countryside walk, thw history trail and the farm trail I think there is few more but I never done then as had my wee baby with me in his pram.

Lots of great walks through this park, , animals and play parks. Unfortunately the castle and museum is closed for renovation, but cant wait to visit once these are completed.

Place is under renovations. So could not explore much. The trekking paths are good. Public toilets close early so people were trying to scramble for toilets. 3pm onwards they closed the toilets altogether and people did not know what to do. The small refreshment place has only sandwiches etc. Coffee is okay though.

Beautiful place for walks and taking kids. They enjoy seeing the animals and spotting squirrels 😊

Nice park, unfortunately the castle is under restoration and cant visit it and the animal farm have only pigs, goose and rabbits. Playground has a very big slide for older kids.

Good walk 🚶‍♂️ trails. Lovely scenery and a good breath of fresh air 👌.However, the kids were disappointed because the castle was under renovation. Saw it from the outside

Absolutely stunning park. Wonderful walks. Gorgeous views. The walks are mostly well surfaced so great for kids.

Lots of lovely walks to do. Kids love seeing the animals. The kids park is reduced in size which is a shame. But plenty to keep them going.

Beautiful place to walk my dogs, well maintained paths and dog poo bins provided. It is nice to see the various animals kept there, and there is a play park area for children.

Both times Ive been here Ive really really enjoyed it.One visit was during the day ~ when you can see all the animals in their "natural made" enclosures. The 2nd was for a night walk through the park to see a light show. Both were brilliant.Im sure if you take dogs with you they need to be kept on lead at all times.It can be hilly in places at times so just be prepared.

This was a lovely place for a nice family day out, plenty walking paths all lined with beautiful scenery. Some animals around too. Half the farm trail was empty though but we did get to see some horses, donkeys, sheep and rams. So that was nice for my son. A nice play area and we had a picnic on the grass. We did visit while the castle is being renovated so we have a great excuse to have another visit when the renovations are completed. Recommended for a relaxing family day out ✨

A beautiful Country Park with loads of lovely animals for the kids to see(and the adults). The Castle is currently closed for restoration, however well worth a trip if only for a peaceful, tranquil walk with the dog exploring the trails and reading about the wildlife which occupies the park. Highly recommended.

Absolutely love the park! I volunteer as a junior ranger and its so much fun! I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a fun couple of hours every 2nd week and a good way to help the community! The rangers are all so nice and the animals, although sometimes they can be crabby, can be fun to work with! The park is really nice no matter the weather and the events held there are a lot of fun!

Absolutely beautiful Country Park ! Spent hrs here on my first visit on boxing day 2018. Didnt want to leave. Lots of varied walks and stunning scenes. Its the closest Ive been to the beautiful deer and horses. Also pigs, sheep and bird spotting. Information boards too with the history behind the Park.Ill be back at every opportunity. Although no toilet facilities that I could find so a bit of an inconvenience. Just be prepared if you drink lots of water !

Dean Castle is a lovely area to visit. Its great to walk the dog by the river.There are lots of things to see and do.It has a very nice Cafe now that sits not far from the Entrance and a good sized car park with Free parking. There are raindeers as shown in my photos. The Castle has lovely grounds and plenty of seats to sit on.Its lovely in spring and summer but in autumn the leaves on the trees are such wonderful colours! My dog loved playing with these.A very nice place to visit for a day out.

Such a beautiful, well kept park. Had a lovely walk around in the sun! Visitor centre has a cafe, toilets and information desk. Theres a play park for kids, animals to see and much more.