Cawdor Castle lies 12 miles east of Inverness, near the village of Cawdor in Nairnshire. The castle is privately owned by the Cawdor family and opened to the public during the summer months. The gardens are particularly worth visiting: three distinct garden areas include a walled garden, a wild garden, and a formal garden with topiary and a maze.
The castle interior, shown by guided tour during the season, contains impressive original features including a fifteenth-century tower and working drawbridge. The family's collection of furniture, tapestries, and portraits gives the rooms a genuinely inhabited feeling. The surrounding estate has several woodland walks marked out through ancient trees.