Ballindalloch Castle and Gardens

Ballindalloch Castle is one of Scotland’s most romantic castles, set in the magnificent surroundings of the Spey Valley and known as ‘The Pearl of the North’. Ballindalloch, the highland home of the lairds of Ballindalloch since 1546, is one of the very few privately owned castles to have been lived in continuously by its original family. Originally built on the traditional Z-plan in the mid-16th century, the Castle has subsequently been greatly altered and enlarged, resulting in the fairly tale exterior visible today. The architecture is completed by interiors ranging from the atmospheric Guard Tower, accessed by an original stone staircase, to the elegance and comfort of the 18th-century formal rooms. The formal grounds of Ballindalloch Castle were principally laid down in the second half of the 19th Century, following the extensive restorations to the Castle made around 1850.