Armadale Castle, Gardens & Museum

Armadale Castle, Gardens & Museum sits on the Sleat peninsula in the south of the Isle of Skye, looking out across the Sound of Sleat to the mountains of Knoydart on the mainland. The estate was once the seat of the MacDonalds of Sleat, and the romantic ruin of the early 19th-century castle still forms the centrepiece of the site. Although the castle itself is now an empty shell, its turreted facade and the surrounding gardens give a strong sense of the family's former wealth and influence.

The 40-acre gardens benefit from Skye's mild, wet climate and shelter from the surrounding hills, allowing a wide range of trees and shrubs to thrive. Visitors can wander through woodland walks, formal lawns, a pond garden and viewpoints over the sea, with the Cuillin sometimes visible in the distance on a clear day. Highland cattle and red deer are often seen on the wider estate.

The Museum of the Isles, set within the grounds, tells the story of Clan Donald and the Lordship of the Isles across seven galleries, covering 1,500 years of Highland and Hebridean history. Together with a cafe, gift shop and self-catering accommodation on the estate, Armadale makes a natural first stop for visitors arriving on Skye via the Mallaig to Armadale ferry.