You can visit Armadale Castle through a wonderful drive along the Sleat peninsula (pronounced: slate). Sleat is occasionally referred to as the garden of Skye, and offers an enjoyable trip with scenic sea views.

The Armadale estate covers 20,000 acres (8,000 hectares). It is traditionally owned by the clan Macdonald or Donald, also referred to as the Lords of Isles, however, it is now held in trust. The Armadale Castle, museum and gardens are an excellent tour package with a very affordable admission price.

Access to the Museum, with a unique display of MacDonald and Skye artifacts is included and make sure to visit the beautiful serene garden to walk about with a wide variety of different plants and trees, all thriving thanks to the warm Gulf Stream.

The Armadale castle itself can be a bit of a disappointment. It is a just small shell inside a relatively modern complex. The long distance photographs make it appear bigger than it really is and a visitor can spend perhaps the entire 5 minutes to take it all in, get bored and then turn around. One needs to keep in mind the history lying in the ruins. It is not open for public and now its sole function is just a ‘folly’ in the garden.

The visitor’s center offers a well organized and informative walkthrough on the importance and history of the MacDonald Clan. Even if you don’t have any family relation to the MacDonald clan, you will still find the entire exhibit captivating and you can spend a good hour or two in it.

You can visit any of the three small shops (one beside the restaurant, one at the entry and one at the museum). The first two are accessible without paying any entrance fees.

Visitors can go to a restaurant called as the Stables, offering a unique atmosphere and very nicely prepared dishes at reasonable prices and an acceptable service standard. To sum it up, you will find nothing wrong in the Stables. Main courses mostly came in at approximately £7-10 and are of excellent quality.

Dunvegan Castle is a place that is filled to the brim with mystery and beauty. In 1933, the 27th Chief was the first to invite the public in to enjoy its majestic beauty. The castle was most famous for being a Hebridean stronghold and has not seen a change of ownership for eight centuries. It is a castle that has been impounded by history and historic drama for many years.

The castle’s large, impressive halls hold some very pricey heirlooms and many of them even date back as far as medieval era. The gardens and landscape that surround the castle, matches the stone building with all the grandeur it has. It is nestled between rocky edges on one side and beautiful, bustling plantations on the other. The castle gardens have drawn many botanists and gardeners both near and far.

The gardens also boast of waterfalls and glades and walkway paths to sooth the wandering soul. There is even a formal round garden you can visit when you are there. Most of the land near the castle is moorland that is barren and lacks substance, but the gardens on and around the castle grounds are lush and full of life. Many plants and tree species take root and grow in a thriving atmosphere here around the castle and its grounds and you would swear that the soil has some special, magic qualities to it. There are many different Rhododendron bushes that you will find in the formal garden as well.

It was built on the rocky edge of the sea for protection. The castle consist of six main building parts to it and five of them are open to the public. The one that is not open to the public and is reserved for the owner and family. The castle has seen many years of additional building and restoration that has all added to the castles alluring pull. If you make a visit to Scotland, no trip would be complete without visiting the castle and partaking of its mystical grounds and glens. Once you visit Dunvegan Castle, you will never forget its magical and special presence. You will always remember its structured walls that have seen as many as ten different building periods and the hauntingly beautiful rooms and halls.