Dunrobin Castle

Absolutely a must stop whilst in the highlands. Good value entry, beautiful gardens, excellent birds of prey display, well presented castle with lots to see inside. Plenty of parking and just off the main road, 2/3 hours will likely be enough but you could certainly spend longer chilling in the gardens and cafe.

The gardens at this castle are insane! The view of the gardens and the sea from the castle makes this a must see stop. The falconry show is really good too and I’d recommend planning your trip around the show times. That said, the self-guided tour of this castle is sub-par. There is no recorded or live tour guide, and so you are left to roam the castle on your own. There are really nice people in all of the rooms who add some charm but we felt that the signage was inconsistent and unprofessional. There is so much more potential to curate this collection/castle and improve the tour. For such a fabulous and popular destination, we expected a better planned tour. In addition, there was a large storage type container right in front of the castle, so first impressions were not good. They should definitely move this to a better location (next to ice cream stand?) or hide it with greenery or something. It takes away from the majestic entry! All this said, 5-star stop because of gardens and falconry!

Dunrobin Castle and Gardens is worth a visit. Entry for 2 adults and 2 children was £45. Initially we wondered if this felt too pricey but the grounds, the chance to view the castle, the cafe, the gardens, and the highlight - the falconry display ... all added up to make it worth it. We brought a packed lunch and bought hot drinks whilst there. The cafe was reasonably priced so you could eat a hot lunch from as little as £5 per head. The falconry display really made the experience for us and our kids. The views over the coast are beautiful. And the gardens were lovely to wander round too. Tulips were getting ready to bloom. Hyacinths in full swing with beautiful scent. Inside the castle was filled with beautiful flower displays. There were Lego people for kids to find in most rooms. And staff on hand to answer questions.

The castle itself is a fascinating look into the past with furnished rooms. The gardens are beautiful, albeit not very big. The falconry display was amazing, with a falconer that was very interesting and cracking jokes.

An excellent castle experience. The view of the gardens with the ocean in the background is lovely, as is the castle itself. The falcon show that is put on twice daily is well worth your time. Inside the castle itself, you're able to walk through a self guided tour, which lets you see the new, old, and oldest parts of the castle, as well as many amazing pieces of art and furniture. Well worth both the stop and the 15£ entrance fee.

I’ve visited nearly all the famous castles in Scotland, and this one is by far my favorite. The gardens are beautiful, the scenery is stunning, and we were lucky to have sunny weather.

Lovely castle and grounds but very busy. Be warned this NOT suited to anyone with mobility issues. Grounds and views were stunning and staff were friendly and well informed. The tea room does not have many tables and there was a significant wait at about 1 pm, with people being told they would need to sit at the picnic tables outside. Unfortunately, no-one was ensuring that the picnic tables were free for use by people buying meals and they were full of people just sitting enjoying the sun.

Great full day out. Castle steeped in history. Strange mausoleum type museum showing how drastically attitudes have changed. Amazing views over the Beautiful gardens. Excellent falconry exhibition and education. And a nice cup of tea and slice of cake (Aunt Sally). It's a full day and lots of stairs, not for fatties or disabled.

I love this place!! It's an amazing adventure! Dunrobin is an impressive castle, with a magnificent setting. I fell in love with this place!! Dunrobin Castle is North of Inverness, 1/2 mile from the town of Golspie. There is plenty of parking. Dunrobin Castle is the largest in the Northern Highlands with 189 rooms. Dunrobin Castle is also one of Britain's oldest continuously inhabited houses dating back to the early 1300s! The Castle, which resembles a French château, was used as a naval hospital during the First World War and as a boys' boarding school.   Dunrobin Castle is open from 1st April to 31st October.   Perched on a high terrace above walled gardens, Dunrobin Castle, with fairytale spires and turrets, rises above the North Sea like an illustration from a storybook. This place is overwhelmingly spectacular. It's breathtaking!   There are few places in the world to match the mountains, moors and beaches of Sutherland. The combination of color and texture is quite magical.   The name Dun Robin means Robin's Hill or Fort in Gaelic.   It was encased by a series of additions from the 16th century onwards. In 1785 a large extension was constructed. Remarkably this early keep still survives, much altered, within the complex of these later extensions, making Dunrobin one of the oldest inhabited houses in Scotland. We were there at the perfect time and got to enjoy a falconry show. It was spectacular! Watching those birds of prey at work was amazing. Falconry was originally developed as a means of hunting fast or difficult prey as food for the table, and is still practiced for this purpose in many parts of the world today.   To train one of these fierce and fabulous birds is a long and difficult process and requires patience, expertise and dedication. Dunrobin Castle does a great job of showcasing this ancient art. I highly recommend this as one of your stops if you're ever in this area of Scotland! October 2023

Just a quick look We were on the way north when we passed this castle, so we decided to have a quick look. We are travelling with our dog, so we knew that the insides of the castle would be off limits for us. From the huge parking area the castle looks pretty good, like many said: fairy tale style. But a better look you can get if you walk past the castle on the right and follow the road down to the ocean. From there you get a real nice view of it....without all the coaches blocking the view. The seaside down here is very nice for a stroll btw. Can't tell you much about how it looks inside. But just one thing: Compared to many other castles we've seen the entrance fee is a bit hefty here. Still, a nice castle. If you are in the area, go have a look.

My husband and I stopped at Dunrobin Castle on our way to John O'Groats. We had never heard of it and it was a spur of the moment decision as we saw signs for it off of the road. We are so glad that we stopped. I'm a huge Disney fan and Dunrobin looks like it must of been an inspiration for a Disney castle. It's stunning and magical with beautiful blue turrets and it majestically sits overlooking the sea. It's just stunning. The tour of the interiors took about an hour and cost ten pounds a person- money well spent. We learned all about the Duke and Duchess of Sutherland and saw some beautiful rooms and Victorian era antiques. The gardens are gorgeous and we even met a very friendly castle cat that was greeting visitors! Make sure to catch the falconry show. I've seen many bird shows and I've even worked at a zoo...this was the best bird show that I have ever seen. The falconer, Andy Hughes, has a way with the birds and also a great presence with the audience. This is a must-see! We saw a lot of castles on our UK trip and Dunrobin was my absolute favorite.

Fairytale French Chateaux in the Scottish Highlands ! This castle is another of my favourites. I was so impressed when I visited that it's design and location are deeply impregnated in my memories. It might not look as much when your drive up the path towards the building, but when walking around it and down towards the sea, you can see it's splendour. I believe that the history goes back to the 13th century and it has been the seat of the Dukes of Sutherlands for a very long time. I think they still own it. There are activities for the young ones and the adults, like the birds of prey. If you are a couple I can recommend the romantic walk in the beautiful gardens with wonderful views onto the North Sea and up to the castle. The castle itself does not appear ancient and you can feel some modern touches to the interior and exterior, but still its worth a visit, when you are in the Inverness area.

This is an amazing castle to visit if you happen to be in the Highlands of Scotland. The gardens are very impressive in the summer and there was a falconry and falconer who put on a demonstration while we were there. The castle and grounds looks like it's right out of a fairytale and I really got a kick out of looking at the birds of prey. Generally, I'm against animals being kept in captivity and used for any sort of entertainment purposes, but it was my understanding that the birds were rescued for various reasons and they looked well cared for by the Dunrobin falconer. I wasn't wowed by the interior of the castle. Typical roped off rooms with no shortage of stuffed dead animal heads mounted on the walls but there were breathtaking views of the North sea. I remember there being a little tea shop and having a soup and salad for lunch but when I think of the experience all that comes to mind is a Little Britain sketch about vacationing in Scotland. "Carrot cake, carrot cake, have ye any nuts?" Yeah, I'm pretty sure this was the same place. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w9r25GhBWjc&NR=1

One hell of a castle, even on a cold and blustery "summer's" day! The two main highlights are the castle grounds and the falconry show. The former is a feast for the eyes as you approach and explore; the latter a wonder for those who enjoy birds of prey and live entertainment. If you bring a large camera, fair warning- he WILL have a bird swoop down and graze your head! Entry for adults is £10 apiece, which is standard for most castles in the Scottish Highlands. Although they open the grounds to everyone (for free) once they close, and in winter the grounds are open daily.

A must visit for anyone interested in Highland History and the clearances. A fairytale castle with superb gardens and falconry displays.