Dunbeath Castle, which sits on the northernmost coast of Scotland, is a vast and magnificent 28,000 acre estate, complete with a castle and 20 houses and cottages besides. The estate has recently been listed for sale for the grand sum of £25 million, and it's a fantasyland for any lovers of castles, Scottish history, or the wild North Sea coast.
The main castle was originally built in 1620, and, as is often the case with castles, it sits on top of a hill, a convenient lookout spot. There are features which you'd expect to find in such a historic building: from turrets and crow-stepped gables to 5-feet thick walls and gun loops, but there are also some more modern additions, courtesy of a renovation project which took place with celebrated 19th-century Scottish architect David Bryce.
Bryce had the inspired idea of making the Castle's facade symmetrical, and approachable by a ¾ mile long driveway, framed by banks and large trees. Inside, the castle boasts 13 bedrooms, 9 bathrooms and 3 reception rooms. Each with large windows, high ceilings and a typically grand architectural details, such as cornicing, panelling and no shortage of marble fireplaces. The rooms are linked by a network of winding staircases and corridors, giving it the impression of being more Hogwarts than home.
It may be hard to believe, but the castle isn't actually the star of the show here: the vast amount of land, and the wildlife within it, is the real draw. There's a 12.5 mile-long river which flows from source to mouth, four hill lochs and about four miles of coastline, beyond which the North Sea extends to the horizon.
The expansive land offers keen hikers, fishers, hunters and shooters with unparalleled opportunities. In fact, thanks to the varied ecosystem, you'll even have the opportunity to achieve the difficult and elusive ‘Macnab’: the successful catching of salmon, stag and brace of grouse within one day between dawn and dusk from a single estate.
The 20 guest houses enclosed within the 28,000 acre estate may well be the perfect place for your guests to stay, but could also provide an income: who wouldn't want to stay at this most secluded and naturally beautiful of holiday destinations?
Caithness, the historic county in which Dunbeath Castle sits, is one of the most northerly points in the UK: bordered by Sutherland to the West and long, sandy stretches of coastland to the right. The secluded remoteness of the castle does come at something of a cost when it comes to transport links, though, it's not impossible. There are flights from Wick airport, some 23 miles away, to Aberdeen, from where you can take many flights further afield. Wick also has a train station. 83 miles away is Inverness airport.
The nearest village, Dunbeath, though lacking in a train station, is home to a handful of restaurants and even a heritage museum.
Dunbeath Castle is listed with Savills estate agents.
