Overnight stay at Carbisdale Castle, SCOTLAND
Airing Date: Sep 25th, 2006
Situated in a commanding position overlooking the Kyle of Sutherland, Carbisdale Castle lies a half-mile (1 km) north of Culrain in Easter Ross. The castle was built by the Dowager Duchess of Sutherland between 1906 and 1917.
Although probably the newest of Scotland's castles, it is built like an older one - a square tower with a variety of extensions built over the years in contrasting styles and using different stonework.
Today, Carbisdale is a grand youth hostel, the jewel-in-the-crown of the Scottish Youth Hostel Association (SYHA). The Castle was gifted to the SYHA by the Salvesen family in 1945, along with its contents, including a fine collection of Italian marble statues. One of these statues has an interesting feature, it contains a mechanism which triggers the hidden door to a secret passage on the gallery. A further 'feature' of Carbisdale is its ghost - a 'lady in white', affectionately known as 'Betty'.
Carbisdale is a backpacker's paradise with a royal pedigree, a 189-bed hostel a half-mile from the train station. Manager Collette Stewart says 24,000 guests check in annually, from schoolkids to international visitors.
