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First tickets go on sale for revamped Inverness Castle

News imageDuncan Walker Inverness Castle pictured at night.Duncan Walker
Work has been ongoing at Inverness Castle since 2022

Tickets have gone on sale for Inverness Castle following its transformation into a visitor attraction.

Work to revamp the former sheriff court and prison started in 2022, at cost of about £47m according to a Highland Council report.

The first tickets for the new Inverness Castle Experience have been made available for 10 December.

The site is expected to attract about 400,000 visitors a year.

The cost of converting the property, on a hilltop above the city centre, has been covered by the UK and Scottish governments, Highland Council and Highlands and Islands Enterprise.

High Life Highland, the organisation running the attraction, has recruited almost 90 staff across part-time, full-time, and seasonal roles.

News imageGetty Images A sepia photograph of Inverness riverside with a row of cottages, a church and in the distance the hilltop castle. A boy in a cap and pulling a barrow is talking to a man wearing a cap. A group of women and children stand by the cottages and other people are standing near the river.Getty Images
The castle, pictured in a photograph taken in 1865, was built for use as a court and prison

Once open, visitors will be able to take an interactive journey through the castle and learn about the history and legends of the Highlands.

Younger people will be offered the chance to follow a virtual guide - a dog called Cuillin.

The castle also has a bar and bistro.

The Scottish Courts and Tribunal Service moved out of the castle in 2020.

The sandstone Inverness Castle was built in 1830s and 1840s to plans drawn by architect William Burn.

It was constructed on Castle Hill, which overlooks the city and the River Ness.

The property's North Block served as a prison.

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