Carbisdale Castle

Carbisdale Castle stands on a hillside above the Kyle of Sutherland, about five kilometres north-west of Bonar Bridge in the Scottish Highlands. Built between 1905 and 1917 for the Duchess of Sutherland, it follows the Scottish baronial style with 365 windows and a floor area of over 41,000 square feet. The castle faces Sutherland on three sides but leaves the fourth blank, said to show the Duchess’s disregard for her former in-laws. It once housed a youth hostel from 1945 to 2011, and later served as a wartime refuge for King Haakon VII of Norway and Crown Prince Olav. The castle’s history includes a legal dispute in which the Duchess was imprisoned for six weeks after documents were destroyed. Colonel Theodore Salvesen bought it in 1933 and lent it to the Norwegian royal family during the Second World War. The youth hostel closed after frost and structural damage led to costly repairs, and its contents were partly sold to cover expenses. In 2022 the barrister Samantha Kane bought it, restored the building, and planned limited public access. Visitors find a grand baronial residence with Italian marble statues and paintings dating back to the 17th century. The tower’s blank clock face remains a talking point, and rumours speak of a ghost named Betty. The surrounding hilltop setting offers wide views across the Kyle of Sutherland towards Invershin and the surrounding Highlands.