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Sutherland

Dunrobin Castle

The largest house in the northern Highlands, a castle of conical spires like a French chateau above formal gardens on the Moray Firth, open April to October.

Welcome

On a bluff above the Moray Firth, just north of Golspie, Dunrobin rises as a tall white house of turrets and conical spires, more French chateau than Highland fortress.

Visited and photographed by Simon Hird

It has been home to the Earls and then the Dukes of Sutherland for more than seven hundred years, and its oldest part dates from around 1275, which makes it one of the oldest continuously lived-in houses in Britain.

With 189 rooms it is the largest house in the Northern Highlands. Sir Charles Barry, who designed the Houses of Parliament, shaped its present look, and Sir Robert Lorimer also left his mark on it. A self-guided tour takes in some twenty rooms, from the panelled dining room to a library of more than 10,000 books.

Below the castle, formal gardens run down to the sea, and through the season a resident falconer flies eagles and falcons against the castle front. It opens from April to October.

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The Daily for 31 October, from Scotland with love. A ring of standing stones set among mist and autumn birch
Before you go

Open 1 April to 31 October: daily 10am to 5.30pm from April to September, last entry 4.30pm; 10.30am to 5pm in October, last entry 4pm.

Tickets cover the castle, museum and gardens; adults £16. Buying online is recommended.

Where
Half a mile north of Golspie on the A9, KW10 6SF.
Tickets
Adults £16, family £47.
Falconry
Displays through the season.

Opening hours

Monday
10am–5.30pm
Tuesday
10am–5.30pm
Wednesday
10am–5.30pm
Thursday
10am–5.30pm
Friday
10am–5.30pm
Saturday
10am–5.30pm
Sunday
10am–5.30pm

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Hidden Scotland

From our guide to Sutherland

Just north of Golspie, Dunrobin rises over the Moray Firth like a French chateau, all white turrets and conical spires. It has been the home of the Earls and then the Dukes of Sutherland for centuries, and with 189 rooms it is the largest house in the northern Highlands. Sir Charles Barry, architect of the Houses of Parliament, gave it its present look. A self-guided tour takes in some twenty rooms, from the panelled dining room to the library. Save an hour for the formal gardens running down to the sea, where a falconer flies birds of prey through the season.

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Where it is

On a bluff above the Moray Firth, half a mile north of Golspie on the A9.

Close byGolspie.
  1. Golspie InnGolspie InnUnder a mile 4 min by road
  2. Golspie Burn Waterfall & GorgeGolspie Burn Waterfall & GorgeA wooded gorge and waterfall above the village.2 miles 6 min by road
  3. Golspie Golf ClubGolspie Golf Club2 miles as the crow flies
  4. Aerial view of a river estuary winding through sandbanks to the seaLoch FleetPinewoods and sand dunes surround this large tidal basin between Dornoch and Golspie.8 miles 16 min by road
  5. Loch Fleet National Nature ReserveLoch Fleet National Nature ReserveSeals and waders on the tidal basin to the south.8 miles 16 min by road
  6. Dornoch CathedralDornoch CathedralThe 13th-century cathedral down the coast.12 miles 22 min by road
Directions
Sandy beach and dunes stretch towards distant hills under a grey skyAttractionsEmbo Beach12 miles
Ivy climbs a turreted stone tower beside a slate-roofed manor houseRestaurantsDornoch Castle Hotel12 miles
Stone building with arched windows bearing the sign Cocoa Mountain, blue picnic table outsideCafeCocoa Mountain Dornoch12 miles
ShoppingBritton Scotland, Dornoch12 miles
Wooden sign reading "milk & honey" mounted on a sandstone buildingCafeMilk & Honey12 miles
Sandstone terraced houses and shopfronts line a leaf-strewn streetAttractionsDornoch Town12 miles
Golf green with yellow flag before a clubhouse overlooking the Firth of ClydeAttractionsRoyal Dornoch Golf Club12 miles
A grand stone mansion glows with lit windows at dusk, bare autumn branches framing the facade.DornochLinks House at Royal DornochPlace to stay · 12 miles
Marram grass on dunes above a sandy beach with flat rocksAttractionsDornoch Beach12 miles

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Stay nearby

Places to stay near the castle, and when each is next free.

A grand stone mansion glows with lit windows at dusk, bare autumn branches framing the facade.Links House at Royal Dornoch
  • To stay
  • In Dornoch
  • 8 miles from Dunrobin
Check datesPlaces to stayEvery stay in SutherlandAll our places to stay nearby, to search by date and by who is coming.See them all
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What we have written about it, the collections it is in and more in Sutherland.

From the magazineGardensArticleScotland's Most Scenic Train JourneysCollectionNorth Coast 500CollectionCastle Gardens in Scotland
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