This Scottish castle with links to Robert Burns and Robert the Bruce is a steal — just don't expect it to come with a roof

It's the stuff of dreams: a beautiful, historic, five-storey castle for sale in Scotland with a £120,000 price tag.

Baltersan Castle dates to the 16th century; a tower house built on an L-plan in the Ayrshire village of Carrick, a place which has historic links to Robert the Bruce, who was Earl of Carrick long before he became Scotland's freedom-fighting king.

The castle was built two and a half centuries after Robert died: it was erected in 1584, commissioned by John Kennedy of Pennyglen and his wife, Margaret Cathcart. It's a building full of architectural interest, and a rare survivor — very few tower houses from the era are still standing, and even fewer that, like Baltersan, has a wealth of sophisticated architectural touches. For all that, you won't be surprised to hear that the castle is designated Category A by Historic Scotland.

And what of those flourishes in the building? The agents, Galbraith, have done a fine job listing them: there's a secret chamber, a number of discreet keek-holes, fine moulded stonework, intricate doorways and fireplaces, carved stone waterspouts, gun loops, iron grilles, heraldic stonework and much more.

It's a fascinating place — but it's also, plainly, a wreck. The walls are still standing to more or less their original height, but the floors themselves have long gone. Baltersan is believed to have been lived in and used until the second half of the 18th century — Robert Burns is said to have visited at one point — since when it's gradually fallen into the state that it's now being sold in.

Even in ruin it has continued to inspired. John Keats and Robert Louis Stephenson are both said to have visitied, while the iconic architect and designed Charles Rennie Mackintosh came to the castle and sketched many of its details. The resulting drawings are held in The Mackintosh Collection in the Hunterian Art Gallery in Glasgow.

Baltersan was owned by a man named James Brown for more than three decades, and he made many efforts to save the castle. Planning permission applications to save the building, restore it, and turn it into a guesthouse have been made, granted and lapsed; Galbraith note that the last approval was granted by South Ayrshire Council in 2007. Whoever takes it on will have to go through the process again, though past approvals are invariably a good sign, particularly for those embarking on a sympathetic restoration effort.

The problem, of course, is that such projects require huge resources. Brown was still looking for investment when he ended up selling to current owner Angelo Ovidi in 2024, and after being unable to bring his own £2 million restoration plans to fruition, Ovidi too is now passing on the baton.

'Baltersan has inspired architectural and artistic interest over several generations,' he says.

'I fell in love with the castle, its setting and its history when I first met James [Brown] and have been passionate about its restoration ever since. My hope is that new owners will recognise its unique character and significance, breathe new life into the property and allow it to stand proud once again.'

What awaits those new owners, then? We asked Tim Moulding, one of the most well-respected country house building and renovation experts in Britain. Amazingly, Moulding's family have been in the building business since Baltersan Castle was still standing more or less intact — Moulding & Co was founded in 1798.

'There is something wonderfully romantic about rescuing a ruined Scottish castle, but the reality is that you're not buying a house in need of renovation. You're taking on a major conservation and reconstruction project,' he says. 'The purchase price is likely to be the least significant part of the investment.'

The first steps in the project are to establish the structural integrity of the surviving masonry, since 'a building that has stood without a roof for centuries will have suffered prolonged exposure to the elements. You need to understand the condition of what's left before contemplating how to rebuild what's missing.'

Even as you undertake that work, the equally important job of finding the right people needs to be tackled: 'the successful restoration of a building like this depends upon assembling the right team from the outset, particularly a conservation architect, structural engineer and contractor with genuine experience of historic masonry and traditional craftsmanship,' says Tim.

As for cost? The £2 million budget Ovidi had in mind is probably in the right ballpark, but depending on the final plans it could easily surpass that. 'Projects of this nature are notoriously difficult to cost accurately, and a generous contingency is absolutely essential,' adds Moulding.

'I would be very surprised if a comprehensive restoration to a high residential standard didn't run into several million pounds.

'Ultimately, this is unlikely to be a conventional property investment. It requires someone with the passion, patience and financial resources to become a custodian of an important piece of architectural history. For the right person, the rewards could be extraordinary.'

Ah, yes — the rewards. Saving Baltersan would be a wonderful thing to do, and it would leave the next owner with a castle to be proud of. There's something else to bear in mind too: the castle is set amid unspoilt countryside, but isn't so remote as to make getting there a problem. This is the heart of South Ayrshire, close to the market town of Maybole and the world-famous golf links at Turnberry, an hour or so from Glasgow, and less than half that to the airport at Prestwick. On the down side? There's little land included — only around half an acre — but there is an access track noted on the agent's details.

'Baltersan is much more than a romantic castle ruin. It is a story, a place and a piece of Scotland’s heritage,' says Natalie Fotheringham of Galbraith in Ayr, handling the sale.

'The surviving fabric and extensive research archive provide an unusually clear understanding of the original house, while its commanding setting and historic grounds add to its appeal.

'For a new owner, the opportunity is therefore not simply to rebuild a castle but to safeguard and restore one of Ayrshire’s most significant historic buildings and create the next chapter in its history.'

Baltersan Castle is for sale via Galbraith at offers over £120,000 — see more details.

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