The Castle & Grounds
Carbisdale Castle is the residential home and estate of Lady Samantha Kane of Carbisdale. She purchased the estate after falling in love with the Highlands
A Great House
Carbisdale Castle is the residential home and estate of Lady Samantha Kane of Carbisdale. She purchased the estate after falling in love with the Highlands of Scotland, the rich history of the Castle and the Duchess of Sutherland. She embarked on major renovation and conservation of the Castle, its grounds, and loch, in order to restore it to its original magnificence and splendour. The Drawing Room and Whiskey Bar of the Castle were her own design, centred around an imposing portrait of the Duchess and the original, deep mahogany bar, which was retrieved and restored, fully stocked with a fine selection of rare wines and whiskeys, complemented by Samantha’s own brand of whiskey, Lady Carbisdale, sourced locally and blended especially for the Castle’s guests to enjoy.
The Duchess Wing: Experience the Life of Lords and Ladies
To help with the extremely high maintenance costs of a castle of this calibre, and to share the magical experience, groups of no more than 12 – 16 can hire the Duchess Wing, where they can experience the life of Lords & Ladies. Guests will experience the life of royalty, awakening to the sound of bagpipes, performed by the Castle’s own bagpiper, and relaxing in the evening to traditional music, played by musicians nestled in the acoustically designed gallery above the stunning ground floor gallery, with its magnificent architecture and paintings. Guest of 10 – 12 can hire this luxurious Castle, where they will be waited on by a staff of twenty, whether they dine in the State Dining Room, enjoy afternoon tea in the regal Library of King Haakon VII of Norway, retire to the Drawing Room of an evening, with its own Whisky Bar, to sample a variety of fine whiskies and wines, or play a game of billiards on a full-size snooker table in the stunning Billiards Room, or immerse themselves in a movie in the Castle’s own full-size cinema. In the Upper Gallery is a fully restored Ballroom, ideal for dance and celebration.
Guests will sleep in individually designed bedrooms, enjoying the silence of the surrounding forest and the splendid Highland skies, which offer an amazingly clear view of the stars at night, lit by occasional Northern Lights. For business visitors, the Castle comes fully equipped with office support, conference room and corporate presentation room, an ideal place for corporate events, small conferences, corporate/professional training and mediation/arbitration.
The Castle Grounds
The Castle sits amidst the 2000-acre Carbisdale Forest and it is situated atop a natural escarpment, occupying one of the most dramatic positions of any building in Scotland. Lying on the southern edge of the County of Sutherland, the site was deliberately chosen by the Duchess for its prominence. The Castle offers a breath-taking panorama of beautiful woodlands, interspersed with streamlets and tranquil forest walks, encircled within the majestic sweep of the Kyle of Sutherland, the Oykel and Shin.
The Castle benefits from a substantial private grounds. A particular feature of the Castle is its natural loch, which lies about 1 kilometre to the west of the Castle, accessed by quaint forest walks, and the Castle’s own four-wheel-drive buggies. The loch is a particularly picturesque and peaceful place to quietly contemplate life, or cast a fly for the wild brown trout that occupy it. Currently, there is a plan to erect a cabin, boat-house and jetty for picnics, barbeques, and overnight glamping.
