Ghosts at Carbisdale Castle

Carbisdale Castle has a long history of ghost appearances from before and during its time as a Youth Hostel. The castle has been investigated several times by paranormal experts with varying results. Some of these stories are told here...

The Piper

MacGregor has told of an old man he knew who "heard pipes playing under what today is the castle's rocky site. What an unseen piper was doing there, he could not imagine, though he felt sure these unaccountable strains foretold great changes in the locality". Shortly afterwards men came to blast the rock in order to build the castle. MacGregor has claimed that "the playing of phantom bagpipes could be heard on other occasions, but apart from the phantom pipe music there was also supposed to be phantom organ music". The ghostly organist presumably was playing the organ in the castle ballroom.

The Lady in White

George Murray employed in the gardens of Carbisdale was reported to have looked up one summer's day and there standing beside a whin-bush in front of him was "the figure of a lady clad in white dress which seemed to fall as if draped from her shoulders. In a nonce she was gone." George proceeded instantly to the spot where he had seen her but could find no one there, nor anything to explain matters. Two or three times that summer Murray reputedly saw the apparition and it was also seen by at least two others. Local speculation has it that this is none other than the poor Duchess Blair who did not live to see her Castle completed.


The Battle of Carbisdale


On Saturday 27th April 1650 General James Graham, Marquis of Montrose fought his last battle defending the Royalist cause on the hill behind the castle. The Royalist forces fell into a trap and were routed, hundreds dying of their wounds and others drowning in the Kyle of Sutherland trying to make their escape. This hill has since been known locally as the Hill of Lamentation. A sighting of an "angry and distressed" apparition carrying a sword has been reported in the link corridor of the castle. The style of dress seemed to tie in with the Battle of Carbisdale.

This notorious corridor of the castle where the ghost was spotted has long been considered haunted with an 'eerie' atmosphere felt by many visitors.

The Nursery/Schoolroom

The room in the castle which has been the spot of the majority of ghost sightings is the old Nursery or Schoolroom. This is 'The Spook Room' which the bells beside Room 218 refer to. In this room figures have walked around beds which were against the wall, rain has fallen on people, many reports of children's voices and crying have been made and beds have even been turned right round. Another story regarding this room is that the Duchess decided that it was far too nice a room to be used as the Nursery. To stop the children going into the room she called it 'The Spook Room' and told the children that it was haunted!