Can You Visit The Traitors Castle? Everything to Know About Ardross Castle
Fancy a trip to the Scottish Highlands?
Is there a better place for a den of intrigue and betrayal than the halls and grounds of a regal castle?
The answer is no — otherwise, Peacock's Emmy Award-winning reality game show The Traitors (you can exclusively stream the first three seasons here) would be set somewhere else.
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Ardross Castle on The Traitors
Located in Ross-shire against the backdrop of the picturesque Scottish Highlands, Ardoss Castle serves as the main setting for The Traitors. It serves as "home" for series host and Emmy-winner Alan Cumming within the world of the show.
“Do it in a big castle, make it so much more glamorous and theatrical," Cumming said in conversation with Vulture while recalling the pitch made to him by producers. "I said, ‘You kind of want me to be a James Bond villain?’ And they were like, ‘Yes!’ I decided that it should be ‘my’ castle. I live in the castle and I’ve invited people to my castle. I made this narrative for myself for it to be able to work.”
A brief history of Ardross Castle
Ardoss Castle took on its current form in the 19th century under the purview of Sir Alexander Matheson, a wealthy merchant banker who made a fortune trading in tea and opium (the property was purchased from the first Duke of Sutherland). The estate changed hands a number of times after Alexander's death, with the McTaggart family being the most recent owners as of 1983.
Since then, "The Formal Garden, Walled Garden, shrubberies, and lawns have been brought back into good management, additional specimen trees have been planted and woodlands extended," reads the official website. "The castle and estate properties have been extensively renovated."
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Can you visit The Traitors castle?
Yes, you can! Ardoss Castle is available to book for weddings, film shoots, and other special occasions. While we can't promise you'll run into Alan Cumming, we can assure you the reservation won't be cheap. Per a recent article by The Times, a two-night wedding stay will run you around £45,000 (around 60 grand U.S. per night).
“It’s a gorgeous venue,” event planner Kim Rait told the outlet. "Like a home but it’s all done to an incredibly high standard and has a unique setting. It’s in its own glen, very private and the managers of the estate are brilliant.”
For a more accurate estimate, however, you'll have to reach out the castle's proprietors via the website.
One famous face has recently visited Ardross Castle: Harrison Ford. The Star Wars actor filmed a series of advertisements, Once Upon a Time in Scotland, directed by Joel Edgerton for Glenmorangie Whisky, which has a distillery about a half-hour drive away from Ardross. The ads tell a continuous story which pokes fun at the 82-year-old’s gruff demeanor as he’s being asked to portray an action star amidst a series of Scottish cliches when all he really wants to do is hang out by a roaring fireplace in a castle sipping on Scotch.
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“There was one very memorable moment for me when we were standing on the front lawns of Ardross Castle, which is where they filmed The Traitors, and we were all standing covered from head to toe in mosquito nets because the Scottish midge were eating us alive,” said Caspar MacRae, President & CEO at The Glenmorangie Company, at a screening of the series this winter. “Meanwhile, Harrison was sitting in his running shorts and his T-shirt, not complaining about anything.”
How to watch The Traitors
Seasons 1-3 of The Traitors are now streaming exclusively on Peacock.
Peacock offers two monthly subscription plans: Premium ($7.99 a month with ads) and Premium Plus ($13.99 a month with no ads and download access for certain titles). If you're a student, you can enjoy the Premium plan for just $1.99 for an entire year!
The show was renewed for fourth and fifth seasons last summer.
- Additional reporting by Gina Pace
