Where is The Traitors castle? The Traitors train and all the locations filmed in Scotland

Posted by Ra Moon

Now back for its fourth season, The Traitors was filmed in a magnificent 19th-century Scottish castle for both the UK and US versions.

The series also features two elegant vintage trains and several other Highland locations.

This popular show is hosted by Claudia Winkleman and Alan Cumming for the British and American versions respectively.

Contestants work together to win a cash prize, while secretly selected traitors attempt to deceive and eliminate the others.

Welcome to Ardross Castle and our spoiler-free guide to all the filming locations of The Traitors.

The Traitors Castle

With its decorative turrets, battlements, and grand interiors, Ardross Castle is a relatively new castle, not conceived as a fortress but as a grand country mansion.

Built in the 1840s for a wealthy merchant, the house was designed in the Scottish Baronial revival style.

(You can open all the locations on Google Maps by clicking on the links below in the captions ↴)
Image courtesy of BBC - Map

Located in a remote setting, around 30 miles north of the nearest city, Inverness, the 32-hectare estate later passed through several private owners and was extended and altered over time.

During the 20th century, parts of the castle fell into disrepair until a major restoration programme began in the early 2000s, led by the McTaggart family, who bought the property in 1983.

By the 2010s, Ardross Castle had been fully restored and repurposed as a luxury wedding and events venue, and has served as a filming location for The Traitors since 2022.

The estate is not open to the public as accommodation, and the cast of The Traitors does not sleep there.

The location, like The Stag resort in Million Dollar Secret, plays almost like another character in the series.

The castle offers palatial rooms that are used as set backdrops, often enhanced with additional dressing for The Traitors to create a mood of mystery and grandeur.

According to production designer Mathieu Weekes, the team styled the interiors with inspiration from the Knives Out movies and the board-game-based film Clue.

The large round table was a custom-built set, featuring wood panelling and Gothic-toned décor, installed inside the Great Hall.

The Traitors Train

The contestants travel on the Strathspey Railway, a heritage steam railway in the Cairngorms National Park in the Scottish Highlands.

The line runs for only around 10 miles between Aviemore and Broomhill, so the traitors would not have had much time to get to know each other.

These area is quite far from the castle, and the contestants’ introduction on the train is staged purely for the show.

Image courtesy of BBC - Map

The series also features a panoramic shot of a train crossing the spectacular Glenfinnan Viaduct near Fort William.

However, this is not the Strathspey Railway, but the Jacobite Steam Train, which runs between Fort William and Mallaig, more than a two-hour drive from the castle.

You may recognise this iconic bridge, with steam trains crossing above Loch Shiel, from its appearances in the Harry Potter films.

Image courtesy of BBC - Map

The picturesque station where the cast first meets is Boat of Garten on the Strathspey Railway, which is located almost an hour’s drive from the castle.

Image courtesy of BBC - Map

The Traitors Lake

The floating coffins lake scene in the first episode of the fourth season was filmed on Loch Glass, located near the village of Evanton and the castle.

The jetty and, of course, the graveyard were created specifically as part of the set.

Image courtesy of BBC - Map

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