Dunvegan Castle and Gardens

Any visit to the Isle of Skye is incomplete without enjoying the wealth of history and the horticultural delights on offer at award winning 5* Dunvegan Castle & Gardens. Dunvegan Castle’s five acres of formal gardens began life in the 18th century. In stark contrast to the barren moorland and mountains which dominate Skye’s landscape, the castle’s Water Garden, Round Garden, Walled Garden, and woodland walks provide a hidden oasis for an eclectic mix of flowers, exotic plants, shrubs, and specimen trees framed by shimmering pools fed from waterfalls and streams flowing down to the sea. After experiencing the Water Garden with its ornate bridges and islands replete with a rich and colourful plant variety adorning the riverbanks, wander through the elegant surroundings of the formal Round Garden featuring an ilex crenata parterre as its centrepiece overlooked by a Monkey Puzzle (Araucaria araucana). The Walled Garden is well worth a visit. In what was formerly the castle’s vegetable garden, is now a diverse range of plants and flowers that complement the attractive features including a water lily pond, Garden Museum, Memorial Gazebo, 17th century lectern sundial, Larch Pergola, Glass House and the ‘Dunvegan Pebble’, a rotating 2.7ton Carrara marble sculpture. The herbal border and traditional raised vegetable beds illustrate the Walled Garden’s original function to provide food for the Chief, his family and people. The more informal areas of the garden are kept wilder to encourage wildlife and create a more natural aesthetic framed by the beauty of this coastal scenery. A considerable amount of replanting and landscaping has taken place over the last forty years to restore the gardens to their former glory. The present Chief, Hugh MacLeod, and his dedicated team of gardeners continue to build on this unique horticultural legacy for future generations to enjoy.