Magnificent Dunrobin Castle, a mile past Golspie, is the Highlands' largest house. Although it dates to 1275, most of what you see was built in French style between 1845 and 1850. A seat of the dukes of Sutherland, it’s richly furnished and offers an intriguing insight into the aristocratic lifestyle. The castle inspires mixed feelings locally; it was once the Sutherland home of the first duke, notorious for his role in some of the cruellest episodes of the Highland Clearances.
In the first half of the 19th century the duke’s estate was, at over 6000 sq km, the largest privately owned area of land in Europe. Between 1811 and 1821, he and his family spent most of their time in London, but they were still responsible for the eviction of around 15,000 people from their Sutherland farms to make way for sheep, sometimes burning their homes to prevent them being reoccupied.
The classic fairy-tale castle is adorned with towers and turrets, but only 22 of its 187 rooms are on display, with hunting trophies much to the fore. Beautiful formal gardens, where impressive falconry displays take place two or three times a day, extend down to the sea. In the gardens is a museum with an eclectic mix of archaeological finds, natural-history exhibits, more non-PC animal remains and an excellent collection of Pictish stones.
