Carbisdale Castle Carbisdale Castle was built in 1907 for the Duchess of Sutherland on a hill across the Kyle of Sutherland from Invershin in the Scottish Highlands . It is now used as a youth hostel , operated by the Scottish Youth Hostels Association . The castle is situated north of Culrain , and around north - west of Bonar Bridge . The castle is in the Scots Baronial style , and is protected as a category B listed building . The hostel closed for repair in 2011 , and remains closed . History . The castle was built between 1905 and 1917 for Mary Caroline , Duchess of Sutherland , the second wife of George Sutherland - Leveson - Gower , 3rd Duke of Sutherland , whom she married in 1889 . She is better known as " Duchess Blair " because of her first marriage to Captain Arthur Kindersely Blair of the 71st Highland Light Infantry , who died in a hunting accident in 1883 near Pitlochry . The marriage was not well liked in the Sutherland family . When the Duke died in 1892 his will , in favour of the Duchess , was contested by his son and heir Cromartie . In a court process that followed , the Duchess was found guilty of destroying documents and was imprisoned for six weeks in London . Eventually , the Sutherland family came to an agreement giving Duchess Blair a substantial financial settlement . Furthermore , the family agreed to build a castle for the Duchess , as long as it was outside of the Sutherland lands . The Duchess employed a firm of Ayrshire builders and work started in 1906 just outside the Sutherland lands in Ross - shire . It was located on a hillside to be visible to a large part of Sutherland , especially the main road and rail line which the Sutherland family would have to use to travel south . Thus it became known as the " Castle of Spite " as it was widely considered that the Duchess located the castle there to spite her husband ' s family and the settlement agreement . This is further supported by the fact that the castle ' s tower only has clocks on three of its four faces - the side facing Sutherland is blank , supposedly because the Duchess did not wish to give the time of day to her former relatives . Colonel Theodore Salvesen , a wealthy Scottish businessman of Norwegian extraction , bought the castle in 1933 . He provided the castle as a safe refuge for King Haakon VII of Norway and Crown Prince Olav , who would later become King Olav V , during the Nazi occupation of Norway in World War II . During that time the castle was also used to hold important meetings . King Haakon VII made an agreement at the Carbisdale Conference on 22 June 1941 , that the Russian forces , should they enter Norwegian territory , would not stay there after the war . Three years later , on 25 October 1944 , the Red Army entered Norway and captured thirty towns , but later withdrew according to the terms of the agreement . After the Colonel died his son , Captain Harold Salvesen , inherited the castle and gave its contents and estate to the Scottish Youth Hostels Association . Carbisdale Castle Youth Hostel opened to members on 2 June 1945 . Following frost damage , the hostel closed for repairs in February 2011 . Further structural damage was discovered , and over £2 million has been spent on repairs . As of March 2013 the hostel remains closed , and the SYHA state it may not open for the foreseeable future . Architecture . The castle has 365 windows , and the clock - tower only has clocks on three sides : the side facing Sutherland does not have a clock . There is a secret door below the Great Staircase which could be opened by rotating one of the statues . This mechanism is no longer in use . The castle has a large collection of art , with some pieces dating back to the year 1680 . The Lower Gallery contains 19 Italian marble statues , dating back to around 1857 . The castle is said to have several ghost s . Paranormal experts have investigated with varying results . The appearances include a lady in white , fallen soldiers of the Battle of Carbisdale ( 1650 ) and the sounds of a piper . The ghost of the castle gardener , known as " The Hooded Gardener " , is said to roam the grounds looking for his lost daughter . He is said to haunt girls that are the same age as his own daughter ( 15 ) , and has reportedly been seen dressed in black , with a black hood and only part of his face shown .