Couples can marry at Eilean Donan Castle with about 70 seated guests in the Banqueting Hall, and the castle also takes conferences, private celebrations, filming and photo shoots. Hiring it gives your party exclusive use of the interior and the inner courtyard. The castle stands on a small island linked to the shore by a bridge, at Dornie, by Kyle of Lochalsh, in the western Highlands of Scotland.
Seminars and company events
The castle lists conferences and private functions among the occasions it hosts, alongside weddings. The Banqueting Hall, its largest room, seats about 70, which sets the scale: a board meeting, an awards moment or a reception during a Highlands incentive trip rather than a large congress. There are no catering facilities, so dinners and working meals take place at hotels and restaurants nearby, while the castle serves drinks from its own list with its own staff and glassware.
Weddings and receptions
The Banqueting Hall is the main ceremony room. When the weather allows, the ceremony can move to the outdoor courtyard, above the water and facing the mountains of Skye. Afterward, guests go to the Billeting Room for a champagne or drinks reception, or out to the private courtyard in good weather.
Timing follows the visitor season. While the castle is open to the public, ceremonies usually start around 7:00 p.m., after closing time, with guests arriving from 6:30 p.m. From November to February, when days are shorter, weddings can take place at any hour by arrangement. Exclusive use covers the castle interior and the inner courtyard; the rest of the island outside the walls and the bridge stay open to the public. The castle will consider unusual requests and publishes a list of local wedding suppliers.
Rooms and capacities
Besides the Banqueting Hall, the Billeting Room and the two courtyards, a marquee can be set up in the grounds of Eilean Donan Apartments for parties staying there; its capacity is not published.
Accommodation
Eilean Donan Apartments has 12 self-catering apartments about two minutes away by car, and early booking is advised. Eilean Donan Cottage sleeps four in one double and one twin bedroom, each with its own bathroom or shower room. It stands on its own headland where Loch Long, Loch Duich and Loch Alsh meet, with views to the castle from almost every window.
Catering
The castle has no catering facilities, so receptions are held at local hotels and restaurants. The drinks list is sent once the booking is confirmed, your choices must be confirmed at least six weeks before the date, and castle staff serve guests and supply the glassware.
History and setting
The island probably takes its name from Bishop Donan, an Irish saint who came to Scotland around 580 AD. A first fortification went up in the early 13th century to guard the lands of Kintail against Viking raids. In 1719 Spanish soldiers backing the Jacobites held the castle; three government frigates bombarded it for three days, and the troops who took it blew up the gunpowder magazine. After about 200 years in ruins, the island was bought in 1911 by Lt Colonel John Macrae-Gilstrap, who rebuilt the castle with his Clerk of Works, Farquar Macrae, over some 20 years; the work was completed in July 1932. The Conchra Charitable Trust runs the castle today.
Getting there
The address is Dornie, by Kyle of Lochalsh, IV40 8DX. The nearest railway station is Kyle of Lochalsh, and the nearest airport is Inverness.
