17 Spellbinding Scottish Castles to Spend the Night In
Tulloch Castle Hotel, Dingwall
Tulloch Castle has been around so long no one can say for sure just when it was built, but it’s believed to be over 800 years old. It’s tucked on a forested hillside and has many original period features like its ornate ceilings, a 250-year-old paneled Great Hall and restored fireplaces.
The Turrets restaurant, where top chefs prepare meals using local Highlands’ produce, offers an exquisite dining experience. The traditional rooms overlook the Black Isle and Cromarty Firth. They’re all uniquely decorated with tartan fabrics and antiques, and some have four-poster beds.
Of course, with such a long history, this castle hotel has a ghost story of its own too. A “friendly” ghost, as they say, the Green Lady is spotted so often that the castle bar is called the Green Lady Bar. A portrait hanging in the Great Hall of Elizabeth Davidson displays the woman who is believed to be the Green Lady.
Kincraig Castle, Invergordon
Kincraig Castle is the former family home of the Mackenzie clan. It was transformed into a Scottish baronial home in the early 1900s and continues to offer a peaceful, romantic stay close to the city of Inverness, but far enough away for a secluded feel that makes it seem as if it’s worlds away.
A hidden treasure, it overlooks Cromarty Firth providing especially picturesque views. Guests are welcomed to their rooms, which contain four-poster beds, with a complimentary dram of single malt whisky. The castle has its own restaurant for candlelight dining that’s considered to be one of the top eateries in the area. The menu changes daily, featuring items like pan roasted wild seabass, hand-dived Isle of Skye scallops, Dalmore cured Shetland salmon and loin of Dornoch lamb.
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Inverlochy Castle Hotel, Fort William
One could easily be disappointed driving up to the wrong Inverlochy Castle — that’s because there’s two of them, and one is in ruin. While Old Inverlochy Castle is well worth a visit, you wouldn’t want to stay.
The other is a spectacular hotel housed in a former baronial mansion, located a couple miles away just outside the town of Fort William in the Highlands. It was built seven centuries after the crumbling original, but Queen Victoria herself gave it quite the passionate endorsement after her week’s stay in 1873. She claimed to have never seen “a lovelier or more romantic spot,” and today guests often echo similar sentiments.
The hotel hosts 17 rooms, and all boast beautiful views of the grounds and surrounding mountains. While they each have a distinct traditional design, there are high-tech modern amenities like laptops, DVD players and even PlayStations. Guests also enjoy active pursuits nearby, like golfing at Fort William Golf Course, fishing and other water sports on Loch Oich and clay pigeon shooting on the castle grounds.
