Brodie Castle

Overview

Brodie Castle has been preserved by the National Trust so that it retains the homely feel that it would have had when last occupied by the Brodies in 1979. Brodie Castle is more of a comfortable country house than a fortress, so don't expect to find dungeons and canons.

Brodie Castle is a mix of 16th, 17th and 19th-century buildings and its different periods of development are clearly identifiable from the outside. At the heart of the castle is a 16th-century tower house that was built with defensive needs as a priority. The later additions to Brodie Castle provided the occupants with more creature comforts and the 19th-century wing has some lovely architectural features and furnishings.

Noteworthy items in the castle are the ornate ceiling of the Dining Room, and the lovely hand-painted ceiling in pastel shades in the Ladies Drawing Room. Bizarrely, there is a rather gruesome skeleton of a small child on display in the Guard's Room.

The tour of Brodie Castle is conducted by a guide and a lot of the tour is about the history of the Brodie family who seem to have been rather bad at managing their finances. The guided tour can last between 70 - 90 minutes so young children might start to get a bit bored with the pace of the tour. However, there is an adventure playground for their entertainment.

Brodie Castle is especially worth a visit in Spring to see the famous Daffodil displays.

Please note that the signposts to Brodie Castle are a little confusing when traveling from the direction of Inverness. Brodie Castle and Brodie Country Fare are not the same thing and the road to the castle is just a little further east along the A96 towards Forres.

Brodie Castle tours are led by guides at set times of day so it is wise to pre-book, but it is not essential and you can just arrive and book on the day