American sea captain is new owner of 'haunted' Highland castle

A Florida sea captain who spent decades sailing in sunshine has bought one of Scotland's most unusual castles.

Lance Holmquist and his wife Suzanne purchased Carbisdale Castle in Sutherland after what they describe as a "love-at-first-sight" visit to the Highland landmark.

The castle, known as the "Castle of Spite" because of a bitter family feud that inspired its construction, is also said to be haunted by a ghost known as Betty.

The couple is throwing a "meet-the-neighbours" party at the castle, near Ardgay, for the local community.

London-born Suzanne, who grew up in Glasgow, and Lance, had been looking to buy a castle in Ireland or Scotland for about three years before discovering Carbisdale.

They bought it for just under £3.9m and plan to open it as a short-term letting business from next month, before turning it into a boutique hotel next year.

Suzanne is a former TV editor who moved to the US about 25 years ago.

She runs a boat charter business with Lance, who has worked in the maritime industry for 44 years with more than 30 of them as a captain based out of Key Largo in Florida.

Lance, a self-confessed fan of castles and old stories about pirates, had long harboured a dream of buying a castle.

Suzanne said: "Lance loved the countryside in Ireland and I said 'you have to see the Highlands of Scotland, come with me and see this place with me'."

The couple looked at a number of properties, but found they were always too late to note their interest.

"Then we saw Carbisdale," said Suzanne. "We came to look at her a few months later and fell in love with her the first day we saw her."

The baronial-style Carbisdale Castle was built in 1907 for Mary Caroline, the Duchess of Sutherland.

At the time she was embroiled in a bitter feud with her in-laws - which led to it being dubbed the "Castle of Spite".

The duchess selected a hillside plot close to - and visible from - her in-laws' Sutherland Estate.

Carbisdale's clock tower was built with only three faces, with the side facing the estate blank because the duchess did not want to give her former in-laws the time of day.

Over the years, it has been a war-time sanctuary for members of the Norwegian royal family.

For 60 years from 1945 the castle was a youth hostel.

"And we have a ghost called Betty," laughed Suzanne.

She said the family venture would preserve the history of the castle and local area.

"It is hard not to be super grateful about this place," said Suzanne. "Every window has a different story, and there are 360 different windows."

The Holmquists said they had received messages on social media from people in the local community welcoming them to the area.

Lance said he was overwhelmed by the support. "I thought 'wow, we have to have a party to meet the neighbours."

Lance will continue to operate the charter business in Florida.

But he added that buying Carbisdale offered him the chance of a change.

"I think I've had a couple of lifetimes of sun," he said.

"This beautiful Scottish weather might mean me wearing a jumper - I usually don't have a shirt on at all."

He joked he might be able to indulge his love of boats and water by getting a little rowing boat out on a nearby loch.

In the Keys, Lance enjoys encounters with walrus-like manatees, also known as sea cows, and is desperate spot iconic Scottish wildlife.

"I'm looking forward to seeing my first deer," he said.

Carbisdale Castle was previously owned by London-based barrister Samantha Kane, who bought the property in 2022.

Law firm Thorntons' Inverness team worked with the Holmquists to complete the acquisition, and the family's friend, David Walton, helped with 10% of the purchase.

Scott Kenyon, a senior solicitor at Thorntons, said: "We're continuing to work with the Holmquists to secure the hospitality licences they need to trade and guide them through the next stages of their journey at Carbisdale.

"We hope to build a long-lasting relationship as their plans progress and cannot wait to see it come to life."