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.