Multi-Awarded Castle Nestled in Historic Glen

Castle in Lochgilphead, United Kingdom

  1. 10 guests
  2. 5 bedrooms
  3. 5 beds
  4. 5 bathrooms
Hosted by ⁨Simon & Stef,⁩
  1. 13 years hosting

Listing highlights

Top 10% of homes

This home is highly ranked based on ratings, reviews and reliability.

Featured in

New York Times, January 2023

Swim in the infinity pool

It’s one of the many things that makes this home special.
Some info has been automatically translated.
Restoration of 16th Century Kilmartin Castle was completed in 2019.

Located within the ancient landscape of Kilmartin Glen surrounded by 8,000 years of history. Standing stones, ancient hill forts, stone circles, burial tombs, & ancient rock carvings make this Glen one of Europe's most important areas, archeologically.

Kilmartin Castle was Named #4 Best Places to Go in the World in 2023 by The New York Times

The space
When we travelled around Scotland, as tourists, we were disappointed that we couldn't find a castle to stay in that 'felt like a castle' once inside. We found a castle that had dodged the Victorian home improvement brigade, quit our sensible jobs, and set about creating the experience for visitors that we had hoped for. Plasterboard and downlighters became the modern-day enemy of Kilmartin Castle!

An authentic castle retreat, welcoming and warm, rustic and honest. The castle walls and floors have been deliberately left with their original aged patina. Interiors are a mix of antique furniture and original artworks and objects that we have lovingly collected over time. The kitchen is well equipped with two Bosch ovens, Neff induction hob, fridge freezer and a dishwasher so no-one has to draw the short straw there. The dining room sits 8-10 guests and the grand hall is a fabulous place to gather around the fire. An HD projector and retractable movie screen transforms the grand hall into your own personal theatre for movie nights. The Whisky Snug is an excellent place to sneak off to with a good read. All five en suite bedrooms have been individually designed to retain the rustic magic of a 16th century castle while spoiling you with the comforts of modern living including wood burning stoves, extravagant walk in showers, roll-top copper baths and of course, luxury bedding. We have 1 rollout bed for a child at a cost of £55 per stay, and 2 travel cots for toddlers/babies. 2 well-behaved dogs are welcome at a cost of £45 per dog, per stay.

Our gardens have been landsacped by the award winning Chelsea Flower show garden designer Amber Crowley to include a bio-diverse wild swimming pool, outdoor kitchen, orchard, sunken fire-pit, dining table and outdoor living space with a wood-burning stove. The outdoor kitchen is full equipped with crockery, cutlery and hot running water sink. There is a large Kamado Joe, a BBQ and a pizza oven.

We grow our own organic veggies, fruits, and herbs at the castle which you are welcome to enjoy. A stone shed has become outside toilets, complete with wood burner. The glasshouse is a fantastic dining space in the garden providing shelter whould there be a Scottish rain shower whilst you are barbecueing.

WiFi: We have a fast fibre optic broadband connection at the castle and 6 routers placed throughout, which automatically reconnect as you walk through the building.

Kilmartin Castle is the perfect place for a small wedding or elopements.

There is a wedding surcharge of £1,500, in addition to the cost of accommodation, for a party of up to 10 guests who wish to get married while staying at Kilmartin Castle. An additional charge of £100 per person applies for groups larger than 10, up to a maximum of 20 guests.

This fee includes several special benefits, such as access to our charming Wee Barn for your ceremony (perfect for a rainy day) and introductions to our personally selected network of wedding professionals — including private chefs, celebrants, bagpipers, photographers, florists, and hair and makeup artists.

The great thing about Scotland is that you can say 'I do' anywhere you like, as we did ourselves in the castle garden back in 2016.

Guest access
Kilmartin Castle is yours to rule throughout your stay. Enjoy! As it takes a while to make the place lovely and clean for you, we do have to strictly stick to our check in and out times. We will welcome you with open arms from 4pm on the day of your arrival and be waving goodbye at 10am on the day of your departure.

If you do arrive earlier than 4pm the good folk at the Kilmartin pub, are always happy to see you.

Other things to note
We’ll happily introduce you to our private chefs who can prepare an amazing, locally sourced, catered dinner for you in the castle dining room or glasshouse. We'll put you directly in touch to talk about menus and prices once your booking is confirmed.

We welcome well-behaved dogs. £45 per dog, per stay.

A small rollout bed can be set up for a child in room 1550 at a cost of £55.

We also have 2 travel cots available and a highchair.

Where you'll sleep

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What this place offers

Garden view
Kitchen
Wifi
Free parking on premises
Private outdoor pool – available all year, open specific hours, infinity

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Rated 4.91 out of 5 from 167 reviews.

Guest favourite
This home is in the top 10% of eligible listings based on ratings, reviews and reliability

Overall rating

  1. 5 stars, 92% of reviews
  2. 4 stars, 7% of reviews
  3. 3 stars, 0% of reviews
  4. 2 stars, 1% of reviews
  5. 1 stars, 0% of reviews

Rated 4.9 out of 5 stars for cleanliness

Rated 4.9 out of 5 stars for accuracy

Rated 5.0 out of 5 stars for check-in

Rated 5.0 out of 5 stars for communication

Rated 4.9 out of 5 stars for location

Rated 4.8 out of 5 stars for value

Guest reviews mention

Where you’ll be

Lochgilphead, Argyll & Bute, United Kingdom
This listing’s location is verified.

Neighbourhood highlights

Kilmartin Glen has the largest number of historical finds within a six mile radius in all of Scotland. You can set off on amazing walks from the front door. We often describe it as an outdoor museum. Kilmartin Village has a great community vibe, an award winning museum / café and gift shop and a local pub serving real ales, Scottish single malts and great dinner, only a 3 minute walk away.

Meet your host

Host
200 reviews
4.92 out of 5 average rating
13 years of hosting
My work: Simon, Ex Creative Director & Stef, Ex Travel Journalist
Lives in Kilmartin, United Kingdom
We both fell head over heels in love with Scotland whilst on a road trip in 2014. Kilmartin was, by far, our favourite Scottish village! So, when Kilmartin Castle went up for sale, a few weeks after our holiday ended, we couldn't resist starting a new adventure. We sold all our worldly possessions and bought it. Simon was a Creative Director and I was a Travel Journalist & Radio Broadcaster. We spent 6 months renovating Kilmartin Castle in 2019 and now we are very excited to share it with you! We live at the castle with our super friendly cat, King Frank, whilst offering bed and breakfast and when the castle is booked for exclusive use all three of us head off travelling in our campervan. Well behaved dogs, and cats are welcome at Kilmartin Castle.

Host details

Response rate: 100%
Responds within an hour
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Things to know

Cancellation policy
House rules
Check-in: 16:00 – 20:00
Checkout before 10:00
10 guests maximum
Safety & property
Carbon monoxide alarm
Smoke alarm
Must climb stairs