Fancy a stay in a Scottish Castle?

From Pride and Prejudice to Wuthering Heights and Downton Abbey, there’s no doubting the timeless appeal of period dramas. So next time you’re in Scotland, why not star in your own by checking into one of these historic abodes?

There’s no more Scottish an image than that of a castle surrounded by swirling mist – and most of Scotland’s castles ooze a colourful and turbulent history, the stuff of swashbucklers, legends and ghost stories. All the classic imagery can be found in abundance: secret passageways, spiral staircases, dungeons, haunted rooms, four-poster beds, old oil paintings, chandeliers, suites of armour and roaring log fires. The good news is that you can spend the night at many of these castles.

Generally, there are two types of castle hotels – those operated as regular hotels with rooms rented by the night, and castles that must be rented on an exclusive use basis, where your group will have sole occupancy as the only guests. These are usually smaller luxury castles, with several guest bedrooms, and it’s these that perhaps offer the most personal castle experience of all. Here are seven of the best castle stays in different regions of Scotland: