# Things to do Castles and Ruins

Source: https://nisocial.com/listing-category/castles-and-ruins/
Part of: https://nisocial.com/
Places listed: 1

Norman keeps, plantation castles, abbeys and the shells of country houses. Some are staffed and ticketed, many are open ground you can walk into for nothing.

## Places

### Mussenden Temple and Downhill Demesne

A small domed library on the edge of a 120-foot cliff above Downhill Strand, built in 1785 by a bishop for his cousin. The photograph everyone takes is from one spot; the demesne behind it is large, largely empty, and the better part of the visit.

Full entry: https://nisocial.com/listing/mussenden-temple/
Cost: National Trust property, so there is an admission charge and members go free. Check the Trust's page for current pricing before you travel rather than trusting a figure from a blog. | How long: An hour if you only want the temple. Two to three hours to walk the demesne properly, including the mansion ruins, the walled garden and the Bishop's Gate approach. | Parking: Two entrances, and which one you pick changes the visit. Lion's Gate car park puts you closest to the temple and the ruins. Bishop's Gate at the Castlerock end starts you in the glen and the walled garden and gives you a far better first sight of the place - it is the approach the Earl Bishop designed for arriving guests.