Cawdor Castle Cafe - Highland

Wonderful atmosphere. When we arrived there was a piper playing tunes, who was friendly and was very nice when taking a photo with. I've been inside the castle twice, one time in 2022 and now in 2023. The castle is unchanging, which is positive. Nothing is dirty or dusty, standards are high. The audioguides are great and informative. It takes around 30-55 minutes to get through the entire castle with audio guides. There are 2 gift shops with similar products, which is nice. Gives you proper time to browse everything, as the store located in the exit of the castle is normally crowded. Staff is super nice, politely telling you not to take pictures with flash and where to go. Also very nice in the shops located in the castle, will help you reach things off the shelves if you can't.

It's decent but fails to tell an engrossing story. For people that can read English, take the time to read the room guides, they're amusing enough to be worthwhile. The audio guides tell you about half of what's written down. But if it's busy, you can still listen and move on. The gardens should be nice but felt a little uncared for, and exploring the woodland trails you're faced with dead ends and slippery rock steps that haven't been trodden in twenty years. Speaking of which, the map you're given tempts you with a hedge maze. When you find it, it looks beautiful but deserted. Upon finding the entrance, you're told that it was created with too many trees planted too close together, and it's now just ornamental. So disappointed.

An absolutely amazing castle with a beautiful garden. We could not visit the castle as dogs are not allowed, so we only bought tickets for the gardens which are breathtaking. There are two gardens you can see and visit, both beautiful and there is a small woodland walk too. Must see!

The castle is self guided and is filled with interesting items to peruse while touring. There were a LOT of crowds here, which kind of surprised me, as we had been at Brodie castle and it was not nearly as full of people. I think a lot of tours stop here, as people did arrive in large groups. The grounds are lovely and well cared for. We visited in September and there were still plenty of flowers in bloom. There was a bagpipe player on the grounds who was entertaining the crowds as they arrived.

We bought entry tickets on the website ahead of time, but upon arrival discovered there were multiple buses arriving at the same time. We were encouraged to walk around the gardens before entering the castle itself, so as to avoid crowds and a long wait. The gardens were charming and interior interesting, but one star must be removed for the lack of a tour guide or big enough/informative plaques as you went along. Plants were also not marked clearly or at all. I’d recommend for a nice day, especially for anyone interested in the old lifestyle of the wealthy.