THIS DREAMY SCOTTISH CASTLE IS A REAL TRIP

DUNROBIN CASTLE

Fairytale castles exist in real life in Scotland, which is just one reason why the country was recently voted as the most beautiful in the world. And it’s a great reason to put Scotland on your beautiful travel bucket list.

Built many centuries ago to house royal families, castles are grandiose, intimidating, and the pinnacle of whatever luxuries people could muster at the time. While many have since crumbled, some, like Dunrobin Castle, have stood the test of time and remain exquisite architectural masterpieces.

Dunrobin is Great Britain’s northernmost royal building. The castle is located in Sutherland, on the east coast of the Northern Highlands, overlooking Dornoch Firth, at the mouth of the North Sea.

Built in the early 1300s, Dunrobin is one of the oldest continuously inhabited royal homes. It is the family seat of the Earl of Sutherland and the Clan Sutherland. Most of the present building and the gardens were added between 1835 and 1850 by Sir Charles Barry, who designed London’s Houses of Parliament. After a massive fire destroyed much of its interior in 1915, it was restored by Sir Robert Lorimer.

With 189 rooms, Dunrobin is one of the world’s largest castles.

The mountains, moors and beaches of Sutherland offer a magical backdrop to the castle’s manicured grounds.

While the spires, turrets and walled gardens make Dunrobin look like a storybook fantasy, its history reads more like a Game of Thrones serial -- full of murder and intrigue, power grabs and family feuds. The Castle has been the home of Clan Sutherland and the Seat of the Earls and Dukes of Sutherland since it was built in 1235.

The Earldom of Sutherland is one of the 7 ancient earldoms of Scotland. The Sutherlands were once one of the most powerful families in Britain. Many of Sutherland’s current inhabitants directly descend from the Celtic tribes who retreated from Viking invasions.

Sutherland Monument, perched atop Ben Bhraggie, overlooking the castle, features a sculpture of the 1st Duke of Sutherland.

The original castle was square fortress, with 6 foot thick walls, standing guard from its clifftop perch.  Living quarters were added only after 200 years. Then, from the 16th century onwards, numerous extensions and alterations took place. 

Its major remodeling in the mid-1800s changed it from a fort to a French influenced Scottish Baronial style grand residence, akin to Queen Victoria’s Balmoral, complete with Versailles-like gardens.

Your summer visit to Dunrobin Castle now includes a falconry show, with daily flying demonstrations, featuring native golden eagles and peregrine falcons.

The Castle Museum, originally built as a summer house by William, Earl of Sutherland,  displays one of the most remarkable private collections of important archaeological relics.

Whether it’s history, or architecture, or your love for beautiful landscapes, Dunrobin Castle will enchant you.  It belongs on your beautiful travel bucket list. Take a drive along the North Coast 500. It’s about an hour north of the Scottish HIghlands capital city of Inverness and about 15 minutes drive south of Dornoch, just north of Golspie. Or you can arrive by ferry from the Orkney Islands.

Read more about Beautiful Scotland in See Scotland’s Crown Jewel Park, Scotland’s Most Spectacular Road Trip, and Bird Heaven: The Isle of May.

And check out more beautiful things happening now in BN Mind/Body, Soul/Impact, Nature/Science, Food/Drink, Arts/Design, and Place/Time, Daily Fix posts.

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IMAGE CREDITS:

1. Image: Courtesy of North Coast 500. Dunrobin Castle. Sutherland, Scotland.
2. Image: by Paul Wordingham. “Dunrobin Castle.” Sutherland, Scotland.
3. Image: by John Haslam. Statue of the Duke of Sutherland. Ben Braggie. Sutherland, Scotland.
4. Image: by sobolevnrm. “Dunrobin Castle.” Sutherland, Scotland.
5. Image: by sobolevnrm. “Dunrobin Castle.” Sutherland, Scotland.
6. Image: by Vicky Brock. “Falconer at Dunrobin Castle.” Sutherland, Scotland.
7. Image: by PrinceVlad PrinceVlad. “Cedar, the European Eagle Owl (Dunrobin Castle, Scotland).” Sutherland, Scotland.
8. Image: by sobolevnrm. “Dunrobin Castle.” Sutherland, Scotland.
9. Image: by Modes Rodríguez. “Dunrobin Castle.” Sutherland, Scotland.
10. Image: by BN App - Download now!
11. Image: by sobolevnrm. “Dunrobin Castle.” Sutherland, Scotland.