Skibo Castle

Skibo Castle stands on a peninsula above the Dornoch Firth in the Scottish Highlands. Its oldest parts date from the 13th century, when it served as a bishop’s residence. The present building mostly dates from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, when Andrew Carnegie enlarged it to more than 60,000 square feet. The estate once covered 20,000 acres and now totals 8,000 acres of woodland, loch and links. A private power station once supplied electricity to the castle and its outbuildings. The castle is now The Carnegie Club, a members-only residential club with lodges and sporting facilities. The club’s golf course plays across a peninsula between Loch Evelix and the Dornoch Firth. Designed by Donald Steel and Tom MacKenzie, it ranks fourteenth among Scottish courses. Guests also ride, shoot clays or swim in the restored Edwardian pool. Three high-profile weddings have taken place here since 1995. Visitors find the main castle and estate lodges furnished in Edwardian style. The grounds include Loch Ospisdale, Lake Louise and Mackenzie and Moncur glasshouses. A programme of conservation preserves the category-A listed building while improving bedrooms and public rooms. The quiet links sees fewer than 4,000 rounds a year, so players may walk straight onto the course.