Four keeps to call your own (for a day)

Aldourie Castle

Boasting high turrets, oriel windows and a round tower, Aldourie Castle on the banks of Loch Ness is one of the most beautiful Scottish castles. First built in 1626, it was expanded by the Fraser family into its baronial glory in the 19th century. The current owners, Danish fashion magnate Anders Holch Povlsen and his wife, Anne, have transformed the property (one of 12 significant estates Povlsen owns in Scotland) into a retreat featuring a boathouse venue, six guest cottages and numerous gathering spaces.

It is the only habitable and rentable castle on Loch Ness, and offers activities including fishing, falconry and archery in the 500 acres of gardens, woodland and wildflower meadows. “So much of the drama of a place like Aldourie is about contrast between different areas, creating distinct spaces which have a different character but nevertheless interrelate,” say the Povlsens. aldourie.scot

Chilham Castle

Once owned by Henry VIII, Chilham Castle overlooks the Stour Valley in Kent. Its present custodians, Tishya and Udit Amin, who bought the property in 2022, have masterminded its next incarnation as a tranquil retreat with holistic learning, culinary arts and sybaritic delights. The “castle” is a medieval ruin known as The Keep, while the house is a gracious hexagonal Jacobean manor.

The estate extends to a lake and grounds designed by Capability Brown, as well as cottages, tennis courts, boathouse and spa. When upgrades are complete in May, the Amins envisage artists-in-residence and kitchen takeovers by Michelin-starred chefs. Events, including weddings, may be custom-planned. chilham-castle.co.uk

Tregenna Castle Resort

Celebrating a 250-year anniversary, Tregenna is a 72-acre resort in St Ives, Cornwall. “Rather than only looking back, we are using this as an opportunity to safeguard our resort, community and environment for the future,” says operations director James Parker, who last year oversaw a £1.5mn investment in renewable energy including a vast solar grid and CHP turbine.

Tregenna was built in 1774 as a private home for Cornishman John Stephens and was expanded by GWR in the 19th century before moving back into individual ownership in 1992. With sweeping views over St Ives Bay, the resort encompasses hotel rooms, apartments, self-catering properties, two restaurants, a golf course, indoor and outdoor pools and tennis courts. In 2021 it hosted the G7 summit. tregenna-castle.co.uk

Lympne Castle

When Canadian fintech businesswoman Dr Ann Kaplan Mulholland and her plastic surgeon husband, Stephen Mulholland, decided to find a base in the UK, they found the London market was not delivering value, so Kaplan Mulholland started pursuing the dream of owning a castle. They found Lympne Castle in Kent on the market and put in a winning bid. Just 50 minutes from central London, the Grade I-listed property (dating back to 1080) with its fortified tower, panelled Great Hall and views across the English Channel comprises the castle and walled gardens plus 139 acres of land and outbuildings converted into four cottages to rent.

“It’s a bit like going for a facelift and being told you first need a colonoscopy,” says Kaplan Mulholland of the extensive ongoing upgrade that will see a new events venue in the grounds (where weddings are a popular fixture), as well as the restoration of all other rooms and venues, including the restaurant. “I love beautiful properties and after 30 years raising children, this is a very enjoyable new chapter,” she says. “Lympne has romance and history, and we want to restore it for future generations,” lympnecastle.com

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