Kelburn Castle gets £1m boost to carry on glamping

One of the oldest family-owned estates in Scotland has secured seven-figure funding to support the expansion of a luxury camping site.

Kelburn Castle and Estate has been owned by the Boyle family since 1140. Picture: Contributed

Kelburn Castle and Estate, near Fairlie in North Ayrshire, has been owned by the Boyle family since 1140. The present owner, Patrick Boyle, the 10th Earl of Glasgow, opened up the castle along with its grounds and gardens to the public in 1977.

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David Boyle, son of the 10th Earl of Glasgow and commercial manager of Kelburn Castle and Estate, said: “This funding will allow us to reinvest in the estate to increase visitor numbers.”

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He added: “We plan to install an additional nine yurts in direct response to the growing demand for glamping, or glamour camping.”

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The £1 million of funding provided by Barclays comes amid a boom in glamping. Kelburn is benefiting from the bank’s £500m SME loan fund, launched to provide access to funding for businesses with a turnover of up to £25m.

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