A SCOTTISH castle has been put on sale for the fifth time in 10 years after its current owner halted plans for a community group to manage it amid a major row.
Carbisdale Castle, located near Ardgay in Sutherland, is on the market for around £5 million.
The property, which dates back to the early 20th century, was previously bought by barrister Samantha Kane in 2022 for £1.2 million.
Kane previously told BBC Scotland that she had finished the job of saving the property from going to ruin and was selling up as she needs to be in London for her work.
But she went on to remove the castle from the market after holding talks to transfer the property to a community interest company with a pledge to benefit local residents.
The transfer was set to be concluded on Friday, however a row between Kane and Ardgay and District Community Council (A&DCC) of which she is a member, is understood to have led to the castle being placed back on the market.
Kane, a barrister from London, said: “I have now halted that and decided to put the castle back on the market as a direct result of the discrimination I have suffered.
“Obviously the big loser is the community but the hatred and discrimination I have endured is too much.
“One option now could be to have shared ownership with a boutique hotel of 14 of the rooms involved. I was close to selling the castle last time and a hotel group were among the interested parties."
Members of the A&DCC are set to host an extraordinary general meeting to dissolve the body after claiming Kane was "disruptive" and "intimidating".
The claims come after Sutherland councillor Michael Baird, a LibDem, was suspended after he was found to have been “disrespectful towards the chair and committee".
Baird accepted he breached the code of conduct and has since “apologised unequivocally".
A statement from members said: “Following six months of very difficult operating conditions in between meetings the chair and vice chair took the view that the intimidation of members of the public at the meeting on April 17 made the continuation of A&DCC, in its current form, untenable given our duty of care to the many members of the public who attend."
Kane also said she is exploring a "judicial review" and denied the allegations made, claiming she faced transphobic abuse.
Kane said: “I am also going to launch a judicial review of the community council’s decision to hold an EGM as its sole purpose is to get rid of me, which is discriminatory in its nature, is unfair and bias and nothing to do with democracy.
“This is fundamentally an attack on my female identity and not receiving the respect of a woman of my age.
“The allegations are seriously offensive in nature and will have a direct effect on my private life.
“Allegations about my alleged behaviour are entirely untrue – totally false.
“If anything it is the other way around and I have evidence to support that.
“I am considering claiming damages from the community council or individual members for the harm they have caused me.”
She added: “I came here, really driven, with a vision of seeing the castle renovated and back to its former glory, really serving the community, and really being where it should be; one of the most iconic landmarks in Scotland."
The castle was previously built for the Duchess of Sutherland, Mary Caroline, with the property dubbed the “castle of spite” as she was embroiled in a feud with her in-laws.
Over the years, it has been used as a war-time sanctuary for members of the Norwegian royal family and a youth hostel, operating as the latter for 60 years from 1945.
There is also currently a planning application for 12 one-bedroom lodges around the loch area.
