Description:

This grand castle, the largest in the Northern Highlands, very much resembles a French château with its striking conical spires. Dating back to the early 1300s, it’s one of Britain’s oldest continuously inhabited homes, long the seat of the Earls and later Dukes of Sutherland. The Sutherland family gained the earldom in 1235, but their history is marked by turmoil—Kenneth, the 4th Earl and Regent Scotland, fell at the Battle of Halidon Hill in 1333, and his successor William was killed in a feud with the Mackays. The 6th Earl, Robert or Robin, is thought to have built the first castle, which bears his name, before the title passed to the Gordons when John, the 8th Earl, was deemed unfit.

In 1785, Elizabeth Gordon, Countess of Sutherland, married the wealthy Marquis of Stafford and set about improving her estates, though this included the harsh eviction of crofters from Strathnaver under her factor, Patrick Sellar, notorious for his disdain toward the Gaelic residents. While these clearances were brutal, the Countess also brought over 200,000 sheep to Sutherland and oversaw the building of about 450 miles of roads. Over the centuries, the castle has served varied purposes, including as a naval hospital during WWI and a boys’ boarding school from 1965 to 1972, all while enjoying a stunning view of the Moray Firth.