Dunrobin Castle: A French Fairytale in Scotland
When I first laid eyes on the fairy-tale spires of Dunrobin Castle, I thought I’d fallen into a surrealist dream.
The Castle, approached down a dramatic tree-lined drive, is built in the style of a French Château.
To the rear lie formal gardens with intricate parterres and fountains, inspired by the gardens of Versailles, that offer expansive views over the North Sea.
Add a dash of Medieval, Scottish Baronial, and Gothic architectural styles, and you have the glorious mashup that is Dunrobin Castle.
Inside, things get more Tartan: Stags' heads, armor, family portraits, Pictish stones, and taxidermy abound.
Lots of taxidermy.
I visited again in October, when the giant Rhubarb plants had died back, which left the castle grounds resembling a Hammer horror film set.
Dunrobin is a Scottish-French fever dream that caught my imagination.
I can’t say that about many Castles.
How to go
Car–Dunrobin Castle os located near to Golspie–50 miles from Inverness
Train–Dunrobin Castlehas its own train station (a request stop) scotrail.co.uk
Good to Know
Dunrobin Castle is located on the NC500 roadtrip: see my itinerary here
The Castle is open 1st April– 1st October
The Museum, Gardens and Falconry display are included in the price of the entry ticket.
SCOTLAND
Five hundred years before Stonehenge, twelve stone megaliths were arranged in a circle on the island of Orkney.