Dornoch Castle, Medieval castle in Dornoch, Scotland.
Dornoch Castle is a stone fortress in Sutherland, Scotland, featuring a prominent tower with spiral staircase and multiple wings. Today it operates as a hotel with about 24 rooms spread across the main building and garden structures from the 1970s, situated opposite Dornoch Cathedral.
Built around 1500 as a residence for the bishops of Caithness, it served as a center of ecclesiastical authority. Damage from clan conflicts after 1570 led to reconstruction that shaped its present form.
Visitors experience the castle today primarily as a hotel, which keeps its medieval character woven into daily routines. The rooms hold the feeling of an old bishop's residence, where history lives in the architecture and stone walls.
The castle sits directly at Dornoch Cathedral Square and is easily reached on foot from the town center. Visitors should know it operates as an active hotel, so not all areas may be publicly accessible at all times.
A room in the castle tower served as a courthouse for local cases until 1850, when a separate sheriff court was established. This dual role as both ecclesiastical residence and judicial space reveals how intertwined religious and secular power were in the region.
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