Balfour Castle

(Photo by Ray Batson)

The music room in Balfour Castle.

(photo by Rhoda Batson)

Red Velvet chair in the study at Balfour Castle

(Photo by Rhoda Batson)

antique lamp with crystal reflector

(photo by Ray Batson)

The Drawing room in Balfour Castle.

(photo by Ray Batson)

Desk and bar in the study of Balfour Caslt

At 59 degrees north latitude, in the Orkney Islands of the UK, the Balfour Castle is almost certainly the most northerly Bed and Breakfast resort in the world.  The island is warmed by the gulfstream, however, and its gardens provide most of the fare for its guests.  

Originally built in 1848, the Castle was the summer home of the Balfour family.  When the last of the Balfours died without heirs in 1960, the castle was taken over by Captain Tadeusz Zawadski, an expatriate Polish cavalry officer along with his Scottish wife and four children.  Mrs. Zawadski, her two daughters and two grandsons still reside in the castle, and provide gracious hospitality to guests from all over the world. (Photo by Ray Batson)

Balfour Castle on the Orkney Islands