Where is the Traitors Castle? Scotland's best castle stays

Let's be honest. half of Britain spends October shouting at the telly, convinced they'd have spotted the Traitor in five minutes flat. The rest of us just want Claudia's wardrobe. Either way, there's one thing we all secretly want: a weekend in a Scottish castle, sweeping down a staircase in a dramatic cape, plotting over a dram by the fire.

Good news. You don't need to be cast. You just need to know where to go. As a proud Scot, I've rounded up my pick of Scotland's most deliciously dramatic castles and country houses that I can book for you, from turreted castles to golf palaces, haunted hideaways and the odd place that holds a very special place in my own story. Cloaks optional. Castles compulsory.

The Round Table: Ardross Castle

First things first. The Traitors castle is real, and it's called Ardross Castle. It sits on a 19th century estate about 25 miles north of Inverness, wrapped in over 100 acres of parkland along the River Alness. Those turrets, that sweeping drive, the mist rolling in on cue: Scotland doesn't need a set designer.

Here's my confession: long before it was full of Faithfuls and Traitors, I spent a big chunk of my childhood exploring around Ardross and Kincraig. So when I watch the show, I'm not just shouting at the telly. I'm shouting "I've been there!"

Sadly, unless you're getting married, Ardross isn't open as a hotel. It's privately owned, so you can't rock up with a wheelie case and ask for the Round Table suite. Banishment would be swift.

But you can get married there. Ardross is available for weddings of up to 120 guests, and wedding parties can stay at the castle for two nights, with the ceremony indoors or out. Picture it: the vows, the candlelit dinner, the speeches, and who knows what might happen to the members of the wedding party once the lights go out. It also takes corporate events and team building days, which means your next leadership offsite could genuinely be a game of Faithfuls and Traitors. I have booked a few offsites  so trust me, it would be the best offsite your team ever had.

If an Ardross wedding or event is on your vision board, talk to me. I'll pull together the guest accommodation nearby, transfers, and the rest of the trip around it.

Sleep next door to the Round Table

Kincraig Castle Hotel, Invergordon: The Neighbour

If you want to be close enough to the Traitors castle to feel the tension, this is your spot. Kincraig is a handsome period house a few miles from Ardross, with 15 individually decorated rooms, a fire crackling in the lobby, a library and gardens looking out over the Cromarty Firth. Alness Golf Club is five minutes away and the Dalmore whisky distillery is just down the road, which is very handy for steadying the nerves before a Round Table. This was my childhood stomping ground, and I still have a soft spot for it. It's more charming than flashy, and that's exactly its appeal: the perfect base for a Highlands road trip or an Ardross wedding.

The Faithful favourites

Gleneagles, Perthshire: The Glorious Playground

If the Traitors producers ever fancied a spin off with better breakfasts, they'd film it here. And I mean that: I've eaten breakfast in some seriously amazing places around the world, and Gleneagles is, hands down, the best I have ever had. It's also where I celebrated turning 50, not far from where I was born and where my grandparents lived, so it's woven into my story.

Beyond breakfast, there are three championship golf courses, a falconry school, a shooting school, gundogs, horse riding, a gorgeous spa and the American Bar for plotting late into the night. It's the kind of place where you arrive for a weekend and leave having tried four new hobbies and accused your partner of treachery over croquet. Perfect for golfers, couples, milestone birthdays and families who can't sit still.

The Fife Arms, Braemar: The Secret Meeting

Part Highland hunting lodge, part art gallery, entirely bonkers in the best possible way. The Fife Arms sits in the heart of Royal Deeside, close to Balmoral, and every room is crammed with art, tartan, taxidermy and stories. They run lots of art and literary events here and royalty are known to attend too ! 

I have my own story from the Fife Arms.  From the age of five, Royal Deeside was our family's weekend playground: hill walking, skiing, Dad's pipe band, and our own timeshare at Craigendarroch in Ballater just down the road. I've lost count of how many times I've been here. It's also where I introduced my now husband to my parents, over a pint, just before my dad was whisked off to play in a small group for Queen Elizabeth II. That's how good his piping was. No pressure on the new boyfriend at all.

The Flying Stag bar is exactly where secret alliances are formed (or nervous introductions made), ideally over a whisky from the enormous list. Come in winter for snow on the Cairngorms, fires roaring and that cosy, slightly mysterious feeling the Traitors does so well.

Cromlix, near Dunblane: Faithful to the Core

Owned by Sir Andy Murray, Cromlix is a Victorian country house with a chapel, tennis courts (obviously) and beautiful grounds in the Perthshire countryside. It's intimate, elegant and easy to reach from Glasgow and Edinburgh, which makes it ideal for a short break. Is anyone at Cromlix a Traitor? Absolutely not. It would be like doubting Andy Murray, and nobody in Scotland is brave enough for that.

The golf coast: where every round is a mission

Archerfield, East Lothian: The Secret Society

Tucked between Muirfield and North Berwick on 550 acres of private coastline, Archerfield feels like a members' club you've somehow been let into. Stay in a sleek lodge, the New England style Boathouse that sleeps eight, or a coastal cottage, then play the Fidra and Dirleton links and unwind at Fletcher's Cottage Spa, one of the best in Scotland, with bath huts, a marine steam room and a lavender sauna.

The 17th century Archerfield House is only available on an exclusive use basis: 15 bedrooms, 30 guests, a crimson dining room and a snooker room. In other words, the perfect venue for a milestone birthday, an intimate wedding or a very fancy game of Faithfuls and Traitors with your nearest and dearest.

Old Course Hotel, St Andrews: The Trickiest Player

The Old Course Hotel overlooks the 17th hole of the Old Course, the famous Road Hole, often called the trickiest par 4 in the world. Fitting, really: nothing at the Home of Golf is quite what it seems. Behind the views of the West Sands you'll find four restaurants and the Kohler Waters Spa, the only one outside the USA. Play the Old Course, sulk about the Road Hole, then soak it all away.

Rusacks St Andrews: The Endgame

If the Old Course Hotel is the trickiest player, Rusacks is the final reveal. This grand Victorian hotel sits right on the 18th fairway, and many of its rooms and suites have balconies looking over the Old Course. Its rooftop restaurant, 18, has a private putting green on the terrace, so you can watch golfers wobble on the last hole while practising your own nerves of steel.

Meldrum House, Aberdeenshire: The White Lady

Meldrum House sits in the village where I grew up, and I can tell you now: it spooked me out as a child, especially that wee bar. Turns out I wasn't imagining things. The house is said to be haunted by a White Lady who glides about the hotel, usually during thunderstorms. Legend has it that in 1985 she appeared and kissed a male guest on the cheek, completely unannounced. Gentlemen, consider yourselves warned.

Ghosts aside, it's a grand baronial mansion built around a medieval tower house, with roaring fires, big comfy armchairs and its own 18 hole golf course in the parkland around it. It's a brilliant base for Aberdeenshire's castle and whisky trails, and a much quieter round than St Andrews. Just maybe don't book a stay during a thunderstorm.

Banished to the wild

My mum comes from near Oban and Glencoe, so this corner of the west coast is family territory too. I know these glens, these roads and these hotels well, and I can tell you exactly which view you'll want from your window.

Glencoe House, Glencoe: Scotland's Original Betrayal

Long before Claudia was pointing fingers, Glencoe gave us the most notorious betrayal in Scottish history. In 1692, soldiers accepted the hospitality of the MacDonalds of Glencoe for nearly two weeks, then turned on their hosts. It's a sombre story, and the glen still carries that brooding, haunting atmosphere, with mountains disappearing into the clouds and waterfalls tumbling everywhere.

Today you can soak it all up in serious comfort at Glencoe House, a luxurious hideaway with sweeping views of the glen. Spend the day hiking, photographing or simply staring at the scenery, then retreat to a suite and a fire. The only betrayal here is how hard it is to leave.

Isle of Eriska, near Oban: Banished... to Your Own Island 

On the Traitors, banishment means a lonely walk out of the Round Table. On the west coast, it means a private island hotel just north of Oban, joined to the mainland by a little bridge. Eriska is wildlife, sea views, walks around the shore and a proper country house feel, with Oban's seafood and distillery a short drive away. If this is what banishment looks like, frankly, vote me out.

Murder in the city: Edinburgh

The Witchery by the Castle: Murder in the Dark

If any hotel in Scotland was born to be Traitorous, it's this one. The Witchery sits right at the top of the Royal Mile, at the gates of Edinburgh Castle, in a building dating from 1595. It takes its name from the hundreds of women and men burned at the stake as witches on Castlehill in the 16th and 17th centuries, and local folklore says one of them still haunts the place.

Today it's pure gothic theatre: just nine candlelit suites with oak panelling, tapestries, antiques and roll top baths built for two. Dramatic, decadent and a little bit wicked, which is exactly why every Traitor would book it. Dinner downstairs under the painted ceiling feels like a scene from a period drama, and the Old Town's closes and ghost tours are right on your doorstep.

Prestonfield House: The Faithfuls' Feast

I might be a little biased here, because this is where we got married. We even stayed in the very bedroom Joan Collins once stayed in, which felt suitably glamorous. Prestonfield is a 17th century country house tucked beneath Arthur's Seat, about ten minutes from the city centre, yet with peacocks strutting across the lawns and Highland cattle in the fields. Inside, it's all red, gold, velvet and candlelight, with Rhubarb, one of Edinburgh's top restaurants, in the original dining rooms. It's owned by the same man who created The Witchery, so expect the same flair for drama.

It feels like a very grand house party where everyone has a secret. Perfect for a celebration weekend, a festive break or, if you ask me, a wedding.

Easy to reach from across the UK

Schloss Roxburghe, Kelso: The Borders Hideout

Once part of the Duke of Roxburghe's estate, this Scottish Borders country house has been given a seriously glamourous make over. 

Stay in the historic manor, the contemporary wing or one of the estate cottages, then choose between championship golf, fly fishing, the shooting school and the spa. The star of the show is a heated outdoor infinity pool that runs all year round. Yes, outdoors. In Scotland. In winter. Steaming water, cold air, a glass of something: it's a whole mood. It's little more than an hour's drive from both Edinburgh and Newcastle, so it's an easy long weekend from the north of England too.

Glenapp Castle, Ayrshire: The Quick Getaway

Glenapp is a proper turreted Victorian castle in beautiful gardens on the Ayrshire coast, with antiques, log fires, sea views towards Ailsa Craig and that wonderful feeling of having the place to yourself. It's a scenic drive from Glasgow, an easy road trip up from the Lake District, and about 20 minutes from the Cairnryan ferry if you're coming over from Belfast. Spontaneous castle weekend? Faithful behaviour.

The final reveal

So, are you a Faithful or a Traitor? Gleneagles Faithful or Witchery Traitor? Golf coast loyalist or banished to an island and loving it?

Whichever castle is calling, here's my confession: I'm Scottish to the core, and putting together a trip like this is my favourite kind of plotting. I'll match the right castle to the right people, line up the golf tee times, spa treatments and dinner reservations, and string several of these together into a proper road trip if you fancy a grand tour. Behind me is the Travel Counsellors network of around 2,000 travel experts and a 24 hour support team, so you get a personal touch with serious backup.

Whether it's a romantic weekend, a milestone birthday, a golf trip with the gang, a corporate retreat or an Ardross Castle wedding, let's start plotting.

Get in touch

• Call or WhatsApp: +44 7712 489389
• Email: claire.ritchie@mytc.com
• Instagram: @curatedtravelbyclaire
• Web: www.travelcounsellors.co.uk/claire.ritchie

No cloaks required. Just your best poker face.