Where is The Traitors Castle? Ardross Castle location, history, visiting and can you rent it out in 2026?
The castle and its surrounding scenery provides a suitably dramatic backdrop for the hit show.
The Traitors is back - and once again 22 strangers have been locked in a spooky castle, split into Traitors and Faithfuls, then encouraged to lie their way to a £120,000 top prize.
The fourth series of the BBC hit show started on New Year’s Day, and we now have just three episodes of duplicitous fun to enjoy.
The contestants (and some genius editing) provide most of the twists and turns, with Claudia Winkleman perfectly cast as the host, the castle that houses the game is one of the undoubted stars.
Here’s everything you need to know about it.
What is the name of the castle used in The Traitors?
Located on the site of an old hunting lodge in the Highlands, Ardross Castle is the setting for the BBC’s The Traitors. It is set within beautiful formal gardens and over 100 acres of parkland on the banks of the River Alness in the Scottish Highlands, just north of Inverness.
What is the history of the castle?
The Ardross Estate was bought by the 1st Duke of Sutherland in the late 1700s. He built a hunting lodge on the land, before his son, the 2nd Duke of Sutherland, sold the estate to Alexander Matheson in 1845. Matheson was a merchant banker who made his fortune trading tea and opium and paid around £90,000 for the estate, which he extensively developed, including commissioning architect Alexander Ross to re-design the hunting lodge as a castle in the Scots Baronial style, adding around 30 extra rooms and 700 acres ‘of pleasure grounds’.
Matheson’s son, Sir Kenneth Matheson, sold the estate following his father's death in 1898 to C. W. Dyson Perrins, a captain in the army and businessman who was half of Lea & Perrins of Worcester sauce fame. He modernised the castle, including adding electricity, and spent several months there with his family each year enjoying parties, hunting and fishing.
The estate was broken up and sold in 1937, with a Mr & Mrs Austin Mardon buying Ardross Castle, Lealty Farm and over 80 acres of land, living there until 1983 when the estate was sold to current owners the McTaggart family, who are working to restore the former the gardens and renovate the castle and estate properties.
Is Ardross Castle open to the public?
The castle is privately owned and not open to the public – so you can’t just turn up and expect a tour.
Can you hire Ardross Castle?
Ardross Castle is available to rent for a number of different purposes – including weddings of up to 120 guests, corporate events and team building day.
Inside, a number of rooms of varying sizes are available to rent – including the Great Hall, the Monasterial Room, the Morning Room, the Ardross Room and the Drawing Room.
Meanwhile, plenty of activities are available in the gardens, such as a GPS Treasure Quest, a Quest for the Best team building challenge and country sports.
You can find more information here.
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