A “haunted” castle is back on the market with £1.5 million slashed off the price - after the owner's clash with the council.
The Sutherland hilltop mansion known as Carbisdale Castle, situated near Ardgay, Scotland, is now being offered at £3.5m - £1.5m less than its previous asking price.
The property is on sale amid an ongoing dispute between its owner and local community council members.
The castle and grounds, which cover 29 acres, is being marketed by Strutt & Parker as "one of the Highlands' most iconic castles, occupying the most prominent position of any building in Scotland".
The listing follows owner Samantha Kane's decision to pull the plug on a proposed transfer of the castle to a community interest company.
Ms Kane, 65, had reversed a decision to hand over the property, claiming she was being targeted by alleged discrimination.
The 65-year-old, who refers to herself as Lady Carbisdale, had originally purchased the castle in 2022 for £1.2m and has since undertaken "vast" restoration work to key parts of the property. The selling agents say improvements had been made "to suit 21st-century living and the potential development of a spa and swimming pool."
Ms Kane said the “big loser is the community” from the decision, but claimed the hatred and discrimination she had received was “too much”.
Ardgay and District Community Council, of which Ms Kane is a member, has called an extraordinary general meeting to dissolve the council, citing concerns about the castle owner's conduct at meetings.
Carbisdale Castle was bought by a London investment firm in 2016 from the Scottish Youth Hostel Association who had owned the site since 1945 - where it was once dubbed “Britain's poshest Youth Hostel”. The castle's ghost is well-known among people who stayed there while it was a youth hostel with one of the top-floor bedrooms dubbed the “spook room”.
Betty is said to appear dressed in white in various parts of the 41,000sqft property.
1. Carbisdale Castle in all of its restored glory
Carbisdale Castle is up for sale for £5 million in the fourth time it has been on the market in the past decade Photo: JPI
2. One of the castle's bedrooms
The castle was bought in 2022 by London barrister Samantha Kane, who embarked on a serious renovation project of the B-listed pile | Strutt&Parker Photo: Strutt&Parker
3. A window inside Carbisdale Castle
Detail from a window at Carbisdale Castle. | Strutt & Parker Photo: Strutt & Parker
4. The games room at Carbisdale
The games room at Carbisdale, for unwinding after a day on the estate | Strutt & Parker Photo: Strutt & Parker