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Kinnaird Castle, Angus
Home of the Duke and Duchess of Fife, who live on site, the 15th-century Kinnaird has three rented apartments, of which the Macduff Tower is the most traditional, with views out across its well-stocked deer park, and a huge bedroom with four-poster bed. If you’re looking for a castle stay with a dog in tow, this is for you – there’s no extra charge for canine guests and they’ll love running in the grounds. Kinnaird is only open to the public for one day each year (in September), so you’ll have the place to yourself; and if you enjoy wild swimming, head for the lake.
Macduff Tower, sleeps four, from £535 for two nights; kinnairdcastle.co.uk
Tulloch Castle, Dingwall, Ross-shire
Set on a hilltop above Dingwall, this isn’t your middle-of-nowhere castle – but what it lacks in location it more than makes up for within its walls, with an entrance hall that’s more cosy than baronial, but still with a sense of grandeur. Our room had a four-poster bed, and plenty of space for a sofa and armchairs. There’s a resident ghost, the green lady, as well as a panelled great hall, a dungeon and a friendly bar where we enjoyed smoked salmon and gin distilled about a mile away at GlenWyvis.
Rooms from £70 per night; bespokehotels.com/tullochcastlehotel
Thornton Castle, Laurencekirk, Aberdeenshire
Run as a B&B, you’re staying in someone’s home… that just happens to be a castle. My bathroom alone was worth the trip: a vast, claw-foot, freestanding tub in the oldest part of the castle, a 12th-century tower. There are records of Thorntons owning the castle as far back as the 13th century: the current owners are descended from a lawyer who was distantly related to the original Thorntons, and bought it back in the 19th century. Find gorgeous views of the walled garden and surrounding countryside from the roof (ask for a tour) and for supper, try the sublime seafood at the Anchor in Johnshaven.
Rooms from £170 per night; thorntoncastle.com and also airbnb.co.uk
Mingary Castle, Kilchoan, Argyll
The most westerly castle in mainland Britain, on the remote Ardnamurchan Peninsula, is now a spectacular restaurant with rooms. The 13th-century castle sits right on the water’s edge, where Loch Sunart meets the sea – a wooden door on the courtyard opens on to a panoramic view across the water to the island of Mull. Restored in 2013, it’s run by chef Colin Nicholson and his business partner Jessica Thompson. Expect warm and cosy bedrooms (ours had a top-floor private balcony around the whole of the building, perfect for sunrise and sunset) and tasting menus of local flavours. Think lobster and langoustine from the local boats, venison from the estate, cheese from Mull, sausages from local pigs, and most of the produce are from the community garden down the road. You won’t want to leave, but if you’re blessed as we were with perfect blue skies and sun, head for the stunning Sanna Bay.
Rooms from £225 per night B&B; five-course dinner from £60 a head; mingarycastle.co.uk
Spedlins Castle, Dumfries and Galloway
The fairytale Spedlins is a 15th-century, sandstone fortress with top-floor turrets, surrounded by boxy topiary. The owners bought it as a ruin in the 1980s and transformed it, without making it too grand. It manages to be homely but spectacular, with comfy sofas, huge fireplaces and lots of nooks and crannies. For wild swimmers there’s a lake and you can walk the Annandale Way, along paths Robert the Bruce once journeyed on horseback.
Sleeps 14, from £700 a night; spedlinscastle.co.uk
Leslie Castle, Insch, Aberdeenshire
Five years ago, Nicola Teal and John Andrea traded a home in south-west London for a remote, 12th-century, six-bedroom castle: its origins go back to the 1100s, but the current building, with its handsome, tall turrets, dates from the 17th century. It later became a ruin, before being rebuilt in the 1980s by an Aberdeen architect. Today, Nicola serves the drinks and gives you the tour, while John cooks your haggis-stuffed Balmoral chicken, local salmon or vegetable moussaka, eaten at the long table in the baronial hall after drinks in the cobbled courtyard garden. Our room – the Balquhain – was spacious, with not one but two turrets.
Rooms from £240 per night with breakfast; dinner £35 a head; leslie-castle.com
Knock Old Castle, Largs, North Ayrshire
For many years this 14th-century castle was a ruin in the grounds of another. Renovated in 2013, today it’s truly out of the pages of a fairytale, with an open-plan, beamed living space filled with squishy sofas and games galore. Each main bedroom has its own floor and there’s an outdoor dining area and a balcony from which to gaze out to sea. Best of all is a turret-top, round viewing room, the perfect place for a drink as the sun goes down. And hard-pressed parents will love the castle’s best secret: a rooftop walkway leads to a tiny sauna, the ideal place for some “me” time, just a few steps from the kids.
Sleeps eight; seven nights from £2,729; cottages.com
Dalhousie Castle, near Edinburgh
A big, serious castle with lots of on-site infrastructure (including a falconry and a spa). Our vast room came with an equally vast terrace overlooking rolling hills. Edinburgh, with its summer festivals galore, is a 15-minute drive or bus ride away, and the glorious beach at North Berwick isn’t far either. The highlight of our stay was dinner in the dungeon, now an intimate restaurant serving dishes from local produce. Breakfast in the Orangery restaurant, with the sun shining in through the windows, was delightful too.
Rooms from £209 per night; dalhousiecastle.co.uk
Lews Castle, Stornoway
Renovated in 2017 at a cost of £19.5m, this Victorian castle sits grandly above the harbour in the Outer Hebrides. Catch the ferry from Ullapool two and a half hours away, and it’s then a 10-minute stroll. Upstairs has been transformed into bedrooms and apartments – mine had a stunning panorama of the sea, perfect for admiring with a coffee at sunrise. The apartments are penthouse loft-feel with open kitchens; there’s no restaurant, but the on-site café does an excellent breakfast and town is a short walk away.
Rooms from £185 per night; lews-castle.co.uk
Stonefield Castle, Tarbert, Kintyre
If there’s one place in Scotland I’ll always return to it’s Kintyre, where Stonefield Castle sits alongside Loch Fyne, one of the country’s most glorious stretches of water. It’s a traditional, imposing castle that combines a delightful and slightly faded interior with a 1970s conservatory – but no sniffing at that, the picture windows are magnificent to sit beside and watch the ever-changing waterscape. Local dishes on the menu include Tarbert crab cakes and mussels, langoustine and scallops from the loch. Woodland walks from the door, and the wondrous world of Kintyre, favourite hideaway of Paul and Linda McCartney, is on your doorstep.
Doubles from £120 a night; stonefieldcastlehotel.co.uk.
