Inverness castle sits prominently overlooking the river Ness and the town below. The current red sandstone buildings date back to 1836 and were designed by William Burn. Thomas Brown II was the architect for the additional courthouse.
The site itself has a long history as fortification and dates back to 1057 thought to have been built by Malcolm III and having been influenced by Robert I, James I, visited by Mary De Guise and her daughter Mary Queen of Scots. It has literary links to MacBeth.
The castle was closed for a £47 million renovation from 2021-2025.
As part of the Scottish Independent Tour Operator’s AGM & Shindig (SITOA) members were invited to sample this new experience.
As this had been a long anticipated reopening we were all quite exited to visit. On approach the buildings looked magnificent:
We were welcomed by the manager beside the Flora Mc Donald statue and entered the castle via an impressive staircases, taking us to a tower which provided breath-taking views.
We were equipped with an audio guide, which was available in many languages. Next on tour was the Rose window room, displaying an old church window with a funky show.
As the castle was designed and used as a court there are three court rooms. The second one displayed a show of iconic Scottish landscapes and number three was beautifully laid out as a whisky tasting room.
The experiences aims to tell the story of the people living in the Highlands and also facilitates a shop and a rather gorgeous cafe.
Have you visited Inverness castle? Let us know what you thought of it. Was this the experience you expected?
