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Photo: jack_spellingbacon, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
It was built as a defensive tower house around 1570, and down the years transitioned into a genteel residence, when it was called Barrogill Castle. It was derelict in 1952 when it was bought by Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother (1900-2002) shortly after the death of her husband King George VI, and restored as a summer home. The interior you see now is Edwardian-plus-Sanderson wallpaper. It's in the keeping of the Duke of Rothesay, which is how the Prince of Wales likes to be styled when he's in Scotland. He and Camilla continue to visit late July to early Aug so the castle is closed then, check website for dates. With extensive gardens and views towards Orkney.
The Castle of Mey is located in Caithness, on the north coast of Scotland, about 6 miles (10 km) west of John o' Groats. In fine weather there are views from the castle north to Orkney.
© OpenStreetMap contributors
Charming and totally authentic crofting cottage. It was built in 1850 and occupied (and very little altered) by the family until 1990, when Mary Ann Calder retired to a nursing home, dying six years later on the eve of her 99th birthday. So what you see now is a real depiction of a traditional way of life on these windswept farmlands.