The opulent ancestral home of Clan Brodie was built in 1567 on land with which the prominent Scottish family had been associated since 1160 when it was given to the family as a gift by King Malcolm IV.
Not a lot is known about the origins of the clan as many records were destroyed in a fire at in 1645, and this partly explains the castle’s mixture of architectural styles. Two five-story towers on opposing corners of the 16th-century guard chamber adjoin a 17th-century wing and a Victorian-era extension. The latter expansion was completed by the architect William Burn in the Scots Baronial style.
The National Trust-owned castle has more than 50 rooms stuffed full of bits and pieces used by the Brodie clan. French furniture and carpets adorn the living quarters and the playroom has a wooden rocking-horse and doll’s house. The castle has a collection of English, European and Chinese porcelain as well as 17th century Dutch art and 19th century English watercolours with more than 6,000 books in the library. To survive times of clan warfare, there is a guard-room and there are secret passageways in the castle.
The castle is a 45-minute drive from Inverness and is surrounded by a 71 hectare estate where you can wander through landscaped gardens and woodland. You can enjoy the castle and its grounds almost all year round: in spring you can admire the daffodils, in summer the peachy hues of the stonework soaked in sun, and in winter if you’re lucky, the castle might be sprinkled with snow.
The estate is not far from the small hill known as Macbeth’s Hillock, where Macbeth is said to have come across the Weird Sisters.