Dunvegan Castle is a top visitor attraction on the Isle of Skye and we are long overdue a visit. The ancestral home of the Chiefs of Clan MacLeod for over 800 years the castle and gardens are full of history. Be sure to check their website for the most up to date information about opening hours, tickets etc before you visit.
Location of Dunvegan Castle
Situated just one mile outside of Dunvegan, the castle is relatively easy to find. There are brown road signs for it from the A87 at Sligachan all the way to the castle car park. The car park is on the right as you approach the castle . You will find 4 disabled parking spaces immediately on the right hand side as you enter. These are just next to the gift shop. Further into the car park, beyond the gift shop you will find a toilet block complete with a disabled toilet. We didn’t use these facilities but wanted to draw attention to them in case you have a call of nature in the car park! There are more toilets inside the grounds.
The Ticket Office is across the road at the gated entrance to the Castle. You will find a dropped kerb on the right hand side of the vehicle entrance that helps you cross the road.
Dunvegan Castle and Gardens
There are a couple of ticket options upon entry but the best value is the combined castle and gardens ticket. We visited the gardens in early Spring to see the snowdrops and you can read about it here. On this visit our focus was on the castle itself.
Inside the Castle
Before we explain our experience of the castle we must point you towards the Accessibility Statement on the Castle’s own website. It is important to understand that historic buildings were not built with disability in mind! The first hurdle are the 6 steps outside the entrance to the castle. We folded Sarah’s rollator up and Sarah used the handrail to ascend the stairs. Once at the door we were greeted by a Castle Guide who stored the wheels in a side room for us. Sarah continued with a walking stick and Melanie’s trusty arm to hold onto.
The First Floor
Sarah was now faced with the grand staircase at the start of the tour. Fortunately to the side is a good sturdy handrail so she took her time to go up. If you cannot go up and down stairs then Dunvegan Castle is not for you. Now you are on the first floor all the main rooms are on the same level. True to form Sarah was captivated by the library. If it wasn’t for the roped off area we could have sat her down with a good book for hours! She was more interested in the ancient books than the infamous Fairy Flag!
There are a couple of small side rooms that have access with 2 steps each. The entrances here are narrow so Sarah could lean on the wall and Melanie’s shoulder for assistance. The only room on this level that Sarah couldn’t access was the Dungeon. The worn stone steps up to this are high and very uneven. She gave it her best shot but it wasn’t to be. Melanie went on ahead and took some photos for her to look at afterwards. After looking around a couple more rooms we headed downstairs to the ground floor. This staircase also had a hand rail so Sarah slowly made her way down.
The Ground Floor
On the ground floor there was a small room lower down with a tricky few stone steps to get down. No hand rail here but Sarah’s determination and a helpful steadying arm saw her get down for a look inside. But what goes down must come back up so Sarah dug deep and came back up! The passageway displays lots of artefacts and more level entry side rooms.
We could feel a draft in the air and eventually found ourselves outside overlooking Loch Dunvegan. We walked to the curtain walls of the castle across a combination of grass and uneven flagstones. The nature of a historic building can make things a bit tricky underfoot so take care outside. It would have been lovely to have a bench or two out here so Sarah could take a rest but it was not to be. The air was still and the loch calm so the views were spectacular. That said, it is still early September so when the midges found us we retreated!
Once round the small gift shop we finally had a few stairs to go up to get us back to the front door. Melanie retrieved the rollator and Sarah made her way back down the last few steps at the front door. We found a quiet spot and Sarah had a seat on her rollator. All the steps had taken it out of her and her legs were exhausted. During a visit to Eilean Donan Castle Sarah was often offered a seat as we pottered around but that wasn’t the case today. Sadly we had no energy left to enjoy the end of summer in the gardens so it was a slow walk back to the car. It is quite a way back up to the car park so make sure you have some energy left in reserve.
If you have mobility issues please make sure you have taken these into account if you chose to visit Dunvegan Castle. It is not easy by any means and we would hate for you to arrive and then not see much.
