British businessman transformed a derelict castle into a whimsical rental — and painted it pink.

Bruce Walker told BI in 2022 that he grew up in the historic region of Ayrshire in Scotland. However, he lived and worked in Hong Kong for nearly thirty years.

In 2000, he returned to the UK with his family and bought a derelict castle in Ayrshire in deep need of TLC. They thought it would be “good fun” to renovate and share it with guests, he said.

But it was a big project.

“The roof and the floors and everything had fallen in,” Walker said. “The building itself was the remains of a 14th-century castle, a 17th-century castle, and a Victorian make-around.”

Renovations of the castle began in 2013 and took roughly five years to complete. Over those years, Walker said the project cost £1.3 million, or about $1.6 million — more than he’d anticipated.

He also had to get permission from Historic Scotland to proceed with the renovations. When the organization said yes, Walker was given the green light to transform it into a “fantasy castle” where guests can reconnect with nature in the “middle of the countryside.”

The castle, available to rent on Holiday Cottages, is designed to be a perfect retreat for people of all ages. Three of the house’s four double bedrooms are in the castle turrets. The other turret houses an infrared sauna, and there’s also a hot tub outside.

The historic structure’s distinct pale-pink color adds to the castle’s fantasy. According to Walker, the color comes from a lime-wash paint that enhances the natural tones of the sandstone exterior.

He also said that the color signified nobility among the Picts, an ancient group living in Scotland during the Middle Ages.