The stone bridge and its reflection
The classic shot from the car park at high tide, free and without a ticket.
Diliff — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Foxjazz — CC BY-SA 4.0 · John Myers — CC BY-SA 2.0 · Tom Parnell from Scottish Borders, Scotland — CC BY-SA 2.0
Scotland's most photographed castle is, strictly speaking, not a medieval castle at all. What you see was rebuilt from scratch between 1919 and 1932 on the rubble of a fortress that Royal Navy warships shelled and then blew up with gunpowder in 1719, after Spanish soldiers sent to back the Jacobite rising had holed up inside. The stones lay scattered for two centuries until Lt-Col John MacRae-Gilstrap bought the island and raised this romantic vision, arched stone footbridge included. The result is probably prettier than the original ever was, which is why it turns up in Highlander and the Bond film The World Is Not Enough. The setting does half the work: a tiny island where three sea lochs (Duich, Long and Alsh) meet, beside the village of Dornie on the A87, the mainland road to Skye. It sits about 15 km east of the Skye Bridge, a 15-minute drive from Kyleakin and roughly an hour from Portree, so anyone driving onto or off the island passes it. The view from the car park is entirely free, and plenty of people rightly stop there. Watch the tide: low water leaves grey mudflats round the walls, high water gives you the famous reflection shot, and after dark the whole castle is floodlit. The interior earns its ticket if you have time, with caveats. It is a self-guided walk through the banqueting hall, bedrooms and a kitchen frozen in the 1930s, staffed by life-size figures of cooks at work, and takes 45 to 60 minutes. Adults pay GBP 13, over-60s GBP 12, children aged 5 to 15 GBP 6.50, under-5s nothing, and a family ticket for two adults and three children is GBP 38, sold only on site on the day: there is no online booking. Photography is banned inside, large bags go in free lockers, and the stairs are narrow and uneven, so pushchairs stay outside and anyone unsteady on steps will enjoy the bridge and the visitor centre (cafe, shop, toilets) more than the rooms. In July and August the castle opens 09:00 to 18:00, tour coaches from Inverness and Edinburgh roll in between about 10:00 and 15:00, and the narrow bridge becomes a queue. Arrive before 09:30 or after 15:00, or make it your stop on the way back from Skye rather than the way in. From February to 28 March and from 25 October to 22 December the castle shuts at 16:00 with last entry at 15:00, and it closes completely from 23 December to 31 January, though the exterior and the night floodlighting are always there. Parking costs around GBP 3 for two hours during opening hours and is free outside them.
The classic shot from the car park at high tide, free and without a ticket.
The heart of the 1919-1932 rebuild, with its Douglas fir ceiling and carved MacRae heraldry.
After dusk the castle becomes a golden block over the water, even in the months it is closed.
Dornie, Kyle of Lochalsh, A87, IV40 8DX
If you are short on time or have toddlers in a pushchair, stay outside: the view from the car park and the bridge is what people come for, and the interior is a fairly recent rebuild that takes under an hour. If Jacobite history appeals or you have school-age children, the furnished rooms and kitchen are worth the GBP 13.
No, and you cannot anyway: tickets are sold only on site on the day. Instead of booking, beat the coaches by arriving before 09:30 or after 15:00.