Skibo Castle (Scottish Gaelic: Caisteal Sgìobail) is located to the west of Dornoch in the Highland county of Sutherland, Scotland overlooking the Dornoch Firth. Although largely of the 19th century and early 20th century, when it was the home of industrialist Andrew Carnegie, its origins go back much earlier. Thomas Chirnside and his brother, Andrew Spencer Chirnside, bought the castle and the surrounding 20,000 acres for £125,000 in 1868 and lived there until they sold it in 1871 for £130,000.
It is now operated as The Carnegie Club, a members-only residential club, offering members and their guests accommodation in both the castle and estate lodges, a private links golf course and a range of activities including clay pigeon shooting, tennis and horse riding.
Etymology
According to William J. Watson, Skibo is the anglicisation of Scottish Gaelic Sgìobal, which in turn comes from an Old Norse name meaning either firewood-steading or Skithi's steading.
History
The first record of Skibo Castle is a charter from 1211. From its early history, the castle was a residence of the Bishops of Caithness. Skibo Castle remained the residence of subsequent bishops until 1545, when the estate was, as a tactical measure by the church, given to John Gray in order to reinforce its alliance with a powerful family as the threat of a Protestant uprising spread towards the north.
thumb|upright|left|[[Andrew Carnegie at Skibo, 1914]]
In 1745, Robert Gray surrendered the estate. It was later bought by a relative who built a modern house before 1760.
Skibo stayed with the Carnegie family until 1982. In 1995 a new 18 holes opened for play, designed by Donald Steel and his young assistant, Tom MacKenzie. In 2023 MacKenzie was called back to oversee a redesign, working alongside The Carnegie Club's own David Thompson and Gary Gruber. It included eight new holes as well as sand-capping, returfing and top dressing to bring out the essential links character. The course plays out on a peninsula surrounded by the waters of Loch Evelix and the Dornoch Firth. In National Club Golfer's 2026 Top 100 Scottish course ranking, The Carnegie Links is number 14.
The funds raised from membership fees and accommodation are reinvested into the upkeep of the estate.
The Carnegie Club hosted Madonna's wedding to Guy Ritchie on 22 December 2000. In 1995, it had hosted the marriage of golfer Sam Torrance and actress Suzanne Danielle. On 28 December 1997 it hosted the marriage of actor Robert Carlyle and Anastasia Shirley.
On 3 December 2006, the BBC Television programme Landward featured the Burnett family who for several generations had been tenants of a farm on Skibo estate. The programme highlighted their search for a new farm following their eviction by the estate. The farmhouse is now part of guest accommodation on the estate.
Castle grounds
The grounds include Lake Louise, a very small artificial lake, and one of only a few bodies of water in Scotland known as lakes. The estate is listed on the Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes in Scotland, the list of nationally significant designed landscapes.