Balfour Castle

Currently under renovation but expected to open some time in the near future, this is "the most northerly castle hotel in the world." When it opens it will accept overnight guests. The region's most important benefactors were the Balfour family, worldwide shipping magnates. John Balfour began work on this castle in the southwest corner of Shapinsay, but it was completed by his heir in 1847. In the 1950s, when the last Balfour died without an heir, the castle and estate were bought by a former Polish cavalry officer, Tadeusz Zawadski, and his Scottish wife, Catherine. Today, the place is run by the widow Catherine and her family. When it reopens, it will accept no more than 12 guests at a time. The guest rooms boast antique or semiantique furniture and lots of character.

The estate shelters the only forest in the Orkney Islands, planted in the 19th century by the Balfours and composed chiefly of sycamores. In its center, a 3.5m (11-ft.) stone wall surrounds the kitchen gardens, where greenhouses produce peaches, figs, and grapes; and strawberries, cabbages, and salad greens grow well within the shelter of the wall. The estate is still a working farm, involved with beef cattle, sheep, and grain production. The hosts will take the time to give guests a tour of the property and also to arrange fishing trips or bird-watching expeditions, as well as photographic and ornithological trips with guide and boat. Between May and July, the bird life is unbelievably profuse. Guests may also be taken to the family's 40-hectare (100-acre) uninhabited island, where colonies of gray seals and puffins like to say hello.

The kitchen relies on such tempting ingredients as local wild duck and fresh scallops, crabmeat, and lobster. Guests who catch their own dinner will have it cheerfully prepared for them.

Facilities:
Restaurant; bar

Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.

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