Lovely at any season, Dalcross Castle’s pink sandstone walls glow in the clear Highland light. Set in an 850 acre private estate, the castle offers tranquil seclusion yet is only a fifteen minute drive from Inverness Airport and Inverness itself, the ‘Capital of the Highlands’. Edinburgh and Glasgow are easily accessible by road, rail and air.
The castle, built in 1620 comes complete with turrets, massive studded oak gates and doors, a stone spiral stairwell, fireplaces, arrow slits and shot holes as well as a magnificent Great Hall ideal for entertaining up to 50 guests. It epitomises the romantic Scottish castle down to its historic associations with two great Highland clans, the Frasers who built it and the Macintoshes who held it during the Jacobite uprising of 1745. (The head of the clan hosted the Duke of Cumberland and his troops at Dalcross on the eve of the Battle of Culloden while the Laird’s wife raised her own troops in support of Bonnie Prince Charlie!)
Dalcross Castle is an ideal location for special events such as weddings or anniversaries or just a truly unique and exclusive holiday in a setting of complete comfort and luxury. The owners have brought the accommodation into the 21st century with beautiful fabrics, superb bathrooms and a spacious state of the art kitchen, while retaining the castle’s special atmosphere with subtle lighting, fine antique furnishings and art works. Guests may linger by the log fires or in the extensive gardens, first laid out in the 18th century and now planted with many rare and unusual specimens. The gardens, including a lovely ornamental pond, are perfect for a wedding marquee and photography. Guests may also explore the estate, woodland home to red squirrels, badgers, deer, owls, hawks, wild duck and song birds.
Farther afield guests may wish to make day trips to the area’s other historic sites including the Culloden Battlefield, the unforgettable ruins of Castle Urquhart on the banks of Loch Ness and Cawdor Castle. Other places of interest include local mountains, lochs and shoreline as well as the whisky distilleries on the famous "Highland Whisky Trail", cashmere mills and championship golf courses.
