Bargany lies on the B741 between Girvan and Dailly, four miles up the Water of Girvan, and it is the other great Kennedy seat in Carrick.
The two Kennedy houses
Where Culzean belonged to the Cassillis Kennedys, Bargany was held by their rivals. Through the late 1500s the Bargany Kennedys and the Cassillis Kennedys feuded with real violence — it was Thomas Kennedy of Bargany who stormed Dunure in 1570 to rescue the Commendator of Crossraguel from being roasted, less out of chivalry than to stop his rival acquiring the abbey lands. The feud ran until a Bargany Kennedy was killed near Maybole in 1601.
The estate later passed by marriage to the Dalrymple-Hamiltons, who still own it. The Georgian house is private.
The garden
What draws visitors is the woodland garden: rhododendrons and azaleas planted through mature trees around a lily pond, with a walled garden and fine specimen trees. It is at its best from late April to early June, when the colour under the old timber is as good as anything in Ayrshire.
It is a plantsman's garden rather than a family attraction — there is no café, no play area and no visitor centre, which is part of the appeal for those who like that sort of thing.
Practical notes
When open, admission has typically been by a small charge or donation, sometimes for charity through the Gardens Scheme. Dogs on leads. Paths are grass and woodland and can be soft after rain.
Four miles from Girvan on the B741 — an easy cycle from the town, and part of the quiet valley run past Killochan and Penkill to Dailly and on to Straiton.
