Castles · Scottish Highlands
Armadale Castle
In or near Armadale.
Armadale Castle — country house Sleat, Skye, Highland, Scotland, UK.
Wikimedia Commons contributors — see linked file page for photographer and licence licence
Plan your visit
- Typical visit
- 1.5 h–3 h
- Nearest railway station
- Mallaig · 8.4 km
- Family-friendly
- Limited wheelchair access
Getting there & planning your visit
Armadale Castle is located in the Scottish Highlands, with the nearest railway station being Mallaig, approximately 8.4 km away. The postcode for navigation is IV45 8RQ. Accessibility is limited for wheelchair users.
About
Armadale Castle is a castle in the United Kingdom — fortified architecture from the medieval, Tudor, or Victorian-revival period. Records date its origin to 1815. Heritage designation: category B listed building. Owned by Clan Donald. Wikidata describes it as: "country house Sleat, Skye, Highland, Scotland, UK". Coordinates: 57.0726°, -5.8949°.
Photo gallery
Heritage listing
Category B Date Added 05/10/1971 Local Authority Highland Planning Authority Highland Parish Sleat NGR NG 64023 04688 Coordinates 164023, 804688 — James Gillespie (Graham), 1815-20; of this range only the entrance with flanking turrets and the stairs remain as ruins. David Bryce, 1856-58. Tudor Gothic; sneck coursed tooled ashlar, ashlar dressings. Central recessed 3 storey, 3 bay block with crenellated towers of 4 storeys. Entrance in western re-entrant angle. 1st floor windows small 2 and 3 lights with cusped heads, remaining windows mostly 3 lights and mullioned; crenellation to towers corbelled; simple, near symmetrical window treatment at rear with central wall-head stack. Small 2 storey, 2 bay addition with single storey wing to east; harled with ashlar dressings; 2 pedimented windows rise through eaves. End and ridge stacks; slate roof. — What survives of castle now Clan Donald Centre. Controlled demolition of Gillespie wing; Bryce wing retained; poor condition. Upgraded Category C(S) to B, 11 March 1998.
From Historic Environment Scotland under OGL v3.
Official information
Armadale Castle, Gardens & Museum of the Isles is located on the Isle of Skye and features beautiful gardens and the ruins of a historic castle. Visitors can explore the museum to learn about the history of Clan Donald, Scotland's largest clan, and enjoy various outdoor activities in the scenic surroundings.
From the Wikipedia article
Armadale Castle is a ruined country house in Armadale, Skye, former home of the MacDonalds.
Excerpt from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0. See the source article linked in Sources below.
Background
History
A mansion house was first built here around 1790, facing south-east over the Sound of Sleat. In 1815 a square Tudor-Gothic mock-castle, intended for show rather than defence, designed by Edinburgh architect James Gillespie Graham, was built next to the house. After 1855 the part of the house destroyed by fire was replaced by a central wing, designed by David Bryce. Since 1925 the castle, abandoned by the Macdonald family, has fallen into ruin. The gardens around the castle have been maintained, and are now home to the Clan Donald Centre, which operates the Museum of the Isles. All the southern (Gillespie-Graham) sections of the building were demolished in 1971, leaving the (roofless) David…
Sourced from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Coordinates
- 57.0726, -5.8949
- District
- Highland
- Postcode
- IV45 8RQ
- Parliamentary constituency
- Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire
- Established
- 1815
- Nearest railway station
- Mallaig — 8.4 km
- Opening
- Open Daily From 27 March 2026
- Official site
- www.armadalecastle.com
Sources
- wikidata: Q676462 (CC0)
- wikipedia: Armadale Castle (CC BY-SA 4.0)
- commons: Scotland Skye Armadale castle front.jpg (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Other places nearby
The Homecoming
Public art & sculpture · 0.1 km
Bridge, Armadale Castle, Skye
Historic bridges · 0.2 km
2 Rising Lines II
Natural landmarks · 0.2 km
Laundry
Historic houses · 0.2 km
Museum of the Isles
Museums · 0.2 km
Armadale Bay
Natural landmarks · 0.7 km
Nigel Grounds Gallery
Galleries · 0.9 km
Armadale
Towns & cities · 0.9 km
Dùn Ela
Archaeological sites · 1.2 km
Cnoc Armadail
Mountains & hills · 1.3 km
Tràigh Ostaig
Beaches · 1.5 km
Ardvasar
Towns & cities · 1.6 km
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Armadale Bay
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Frequently asked questions
- Where is Armadale Castle?
- Armadale Castle is in the Scottish Highlands, United Kingdom (postcode IV45 8RQ).
- What is Armadale Castle?
- Armadale Castle — country house Sleat, Skye, Highland, Scotland, UK.
- How do I get to Armadale Castle?
- The nearest railway station is Mallaig, about 8.4 km away. Drivers can use postcode IV45 8RQ.
- When was Armadale Castle built?
- Built or established in 1815.
- Who owns Armadale Castle?
- Armadale Castle is owned by Clan Donald.
- Is Armadale Castle a listed building?
- Armadale Castle is officially recognised as category B listed building listed.
- Does Armadale Castle charge admission?
- Armadale Castle typically charges admission. Check the official site for current ticket prices and opening hours.
- How do I get to Armadale Castle?
- Drivers can navigate to postcode IV45 8RQ. It sits within the Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire parliamentary constituency.