Balfour Castle

Fairy-tale Balfour castle is considered the most north located castle hotel in the world. This is not the most important thing one needs to know about Balfour.

The beautiful Balfour castle and its stance is as if it is out of a tale. You feel like the princesses and princes as you can see on the southwest corner of the island of Shapinsay from this location.

In fact the Balfour castle is situated so prominently that you can easily be seen from the top of the cathedral tower in St Magnus Kirkwall. The gothic towers of the Balfour castle can be seen close to shore and they are the first and the last thing tourists can see there, if they decide to embark on a short ferry.

Balfour castle is built on the site of an older mansion, which dates back to somewhere around 1700. The original architectural plans of Balfour provide seven turrets, 12 exterior doors, 52 rooms and 365 parts for the windows. The foundations of the new palace were laid in 1847 and was finalized about three years later. A considerable part of the stone blocks for construction was taken from the rocks of the island itself.

Balfour castle was owned by the eponymous family for about a century, but around 1960 the family members sold it in 1961 and Balfour was purchased by Captain Tadeusz Zawadski and his wife Catherine, who returned the mansion back to its former beauty.

Since 2009 this palace in Scotland again has new owners who took full restoratиon, giving particular attention to the historical features of Balfour as cultural heritage.

Today the castle operates as a hotel with a capacity to face up to 12 guests. Within the mansion is a beautiful little chapel, which is preferred for the conclusion of marriage among many young couples. Especially for those who choose to say ‘I do’ in the mansion, the owners have provided a bridal suite and rooms for up to 6 couples.