Dunvegan Castle, Isle of Skye

The Scottish Highlands and Islands are full of interesting castles and ruins and, honestly, I feel, if you're one of many people I've met who thinks visiting a castle isn't for them, you probably just haven't found the right one yet.

One a rainy June Saturday, we travelled up to North-West Skye to visit a castle I haven't visited before: Dunvegan Castle. It's the longest continually occupied castle in Scotland and there was has been a chief of the MacLeod Clan living here for over 800 years. I honestly had very little idea of what to expect for a vist to Dunvegan Castle, but that's one thing I love to do on these kinds of adventures. The Scottish Highlands and Islands are full of interesting places to explore and what I discovered when I visited Dunvegan Castle is a truly fantastic visitor experience that I'd highly recommend adding to any visit to the Isle of Skye.

I loved getting the chance to see the incredible, elegant rooms throughout the castle. In each room, there was a member of staff available to answer any questions as well as information sheets in multiple langauges that explained the history of the room and part of the castle we were in. There were so many interesting things from around Castle, from family portraits to photographs of Skye life, that I loved learning more about during our visit.

Probably the most well known artifect at the castle is the Faerie Flag. This ancient clan banner, which came from the Middle East around the 4th Century AD, legend says that, whenever this banner ws unfurled in battle, there would be a victory for the MacLeod Clan. There are some contested stories about where the Flag originally came from (you can read the stories and decide for yourself here) but either way, I find it absolutely fascinating how the MacLeod Clan came to be in posession of such an interesting and mysterious artefact.

Another part of the collection of artifects in Dunvegan Castle that I found so interesting to learn from were the photographs and items from the abandoned islands of St Kilda, which were once a part of the land owned by the MacLoed Clan. I've always been fascinated by St Kilda (I've even read a book or two about island life here) and I'm really hoping to visit the islands at some point in the future. Seeing parts of the history of the islands that I'd never learned about before was really eye-opening to me, and helped me better understand the harsh and difficult conditions that made life here so difficult. It might be something a lot of people skip over, but I loved it.

One thing I didn't realise about Dunvegan Castle is that the grounds of the castle are home to some of the most incredible gardens on the Isle of Skye. As a keen gardener myself, there's nothing I love more than visiting a beautifully curated garden. I especially loved to discover that Dunvegan Castle has a Walled Garden, one of my favourite things, so we ended up enjoying a downpour in this garden for a good wee while as I explained to my husband all the plans I had for my garden.

Another part of the gardens I loved was the water garden. Although we visited on a rainy day (and I'd highly recommend visiting this castle during a rainy day on the Isle of Skye) it was so beautiful to see the waterfalls and pools created in this lush garden on the island.

To visit Dunvegan Castle and Gardens at the time of writing (summer 2026), we paid £35 (£17.50 each) for two adult tickets. Dunvegan Castle also have a load of ways to get discounted tickets. They are only open from spring until the middle of October, so you will only be able to visit during the high tourist season. However, throughout the rest of the year, there are other oppurtunities to visit the Castle. Dunvegan Castle and Gardens host a snowdrop festival in early spring to give you a chance to see these dainty white flowers at the tail end of winter. I haven't visited myself, but it is something I hope to visit in the future.