Perhaps it’s the arrival of the cooler autumnal evenings, signalling that St Andrew’s Day, Christmas, Hogmanay and even Burns Night are not all that far away, or maybe it’s The Celebrity Traitors effect, but we can’t seem to stop thinking about Scottish castles. And there is no shortage of them to occupy our thoughts with more than 1,500 dotted across the country’s wild and wonderful landscape. Some are privately owned, others are in a sad state of disrepair and some offer lodges or gatehouses to rent. Ardross Castle, of Traitors fame, is available for exclusive hire for weddings and events – and as a TV and film location, of course – but might not be the obvious choice for a holiday.
Luckily, there are plenty of other glorious Scottish castles that you can rent for your next British holiday with family and friends. There would be few finer places to spend Christmas, ring in the New Year or simply escape for a week of fresh air, loch fishing and archery. Most of the Scottish castles you can rent can also provide staff (do you really want to cook for 12 people or clean up after them?), as well as arrange all manner of outdoor activities from clay pigeon shooting and trout fishing to archery and even your very own mini Highland games. From Ayrshireto Inverness, these are the best castles to rent in Scotland.
