Scottish castles for winter breaks
Roaring fires, thick stone walls, heavy fabrics and romantic turrets. There’s something about a Scottish castle or tower house which is at once both wild and whimsical, romantic and tumultuous, designed for both comfort and protection.
Our castles, towers and country houses cover the length and breadth of Scotland, from the borders to the Highlands and islands. With rich histories to read around the fire, stunning locations and comfortable accommodation, a Landmark castle makes an enchanting and memorable destination for a winter break.
Fairburn Tower
One of our most iconic Landmarks, this romantic pink castle situated in beautiful Highland landscape is a rare survival from the Scottish Renaissance. It was built around 1545 for Murdo Mackenzie, a favourite at the rich court of King James V and Mary of Guise, designed to be fit for a civilised existence and defensible against other marauding clans. Inside, the castle sleeps four in two en-suite bedrooms, with a large kitchen and cosy sitting room with richly painted ceiling to gather under on dark nights.
Sleeps: 4
Castle of Park
According to the inscription above the door of Castle of Park, works began on this Scottish tower house in March 1590. It may look sparse from the outside, but within is a different matter: everything here is on a grand scale, with large rooms, fine quality stonework and lovely fireplaces. From the hall, the Laird's private stair leads to bedrooms, each with its own privy (perfect for hide and seek). The wide main stair, in its own tower, has a little room at the top called the cap house, from which you can glimpse the sea. The 18th century brought larger windows to let more light in, the bright clear light of a western peninsula. Today, Castle of Park is a warm and comfortable tower, sleeping seven people in four bedrooms. Light the fire, pour a glass of wine and pick up the history album to feel more than 400 years of castle life unfolding around you.
Sleeps: 7
Ascog House
On the Isle of Bute in the Firth of Clyde, is Ascog House. This typical 17th-century Laird’s house sits on land given by Robert the Bruce in 1312, and once belonged to a branch of the Stewarts. Well settled within its extensive grounds and surrounded by wildlife, the house with its stone stairs worn by centuries of use is a cherished piece of the island landscape. Over breakfast at the kitchen table you can often see deer at the end of the garden, and if you take a short walk to the nearby beach you can watch the seals dozing on the sand. Inside, living space is spread over elegant, airy rooms befitting a Laird’s family. There are beds for six in the main house, while Tom’s Tower, just steps away, sleeps a further two in cosy privacy.
Sleeps: 8
Old Place of Monreith
In an exceptionally quiet place of ancient culture and deep peace just a couple of miles from the sea, this is a typical Scottish Laird’s house, built in around 1600. Whilst the exterior is certainly striking, the interior of Old Place of Monreith is unexpectedly elegant, with the kitchen offering an impressive and warm communal space with a fireplace to gather around after a good beach walk. The remoteness of this peninsular at the mouth of the Solway Firth makes the star-gazing here second to none.
Sleeps: 8
Rosslyn Castle
Mainly built around 1450, Rosslyn Castle is situated on a truly dramatic site: a tree-covered spine of rock rising steeply from the River Esk, which surrounds it on three sides. Rosslyn is famous the world over for its extraordinary chapel, and a valley full of scenic romance. The castle has recently undergone a major project of restoration and repair by Rosslyn Chapel Trust to bring the ruinous Great Hall back into use, and now boasts an extraordinary open-plan kitchen and living space for feasts and hearth-warmed gatherings.
Sleeps: 8
Gargunnock House
From the front, this graceful Scottish country house looks classical and serenely late Georgian. But this façade of 1794 is only skin deep, hiding the building’s original form as a 16th century tower house. Only when visitors come close do tell-tale turrets and crowstepped gables give the game away. The tower still forms the core of the house, whose large and elegant dining room contains a piano on which, just possibly, Frédéric Chopin once played. This is a large and impressive house for family gatherings at the foot of the Gargunnock Hills, sleeping 16 people across eight beautiful bedrooms.
Sleeps: 16
Find more holidays in castles and forts, or explore more unique places to stay in Scotland.
