Every Thursday and Friday night this October, millions of viewers are watching famous faces lie to each other in a candlelit castle. The setting looks like something from a gothic novel, all turrets and mist and dramatic Highland scenery. It is natural to ask where is Celebrity Traitors series 2 filmed, and whether the castle is a real place you could actually visit.
The short answer is yes, it is very real. Celebrity Traitors series 2 is filmed at Ardross Castle, a nineteenth century estate in the Scottish Highlands, about thirty miles north of Inverness. The new series returned to the same castle used for the first celebrity run, with filming completed in May and June 2026 ahead of the October broadcast.
In this guide we go further than the simple answer. You will discover the full story of Ardross Castle, exactly when series two was shot, where the celebrities really sleep at night, and whether you can visit the castle yourself.
So Where Is Celebrity Traitors Series 2 Filmed Exactly
Celebrity Traitors series 2 is filmed at Ardross Castle in the Scottish Highlands. The castle stands on the banks of the River Alness near the village of Ardross, surrounded by more than one hundred acres of parkland and woodland. It sits roughly thirty miles north of Inverness, in gloriously quiet countryside that gives the show its sense of delicious isolation.
If the location feels familiar, there is a good reason. Ardross Castle has hosted every UK series of The Traitors since the format launched, along with the first celebrity series in 2025. Series two, which began on BBC One on 1 October 2026, went straight back to the same castle. The American version, presented by Alan Cumming, also calls Ardross Castle home. For the money side of that version, see our breakdown of what the Traitors US contestants are reported to be paid.
Twenty one celebrities are taking part in series two, all playing for a prize pot of up to one hundred thousand pounds that goes to a charity of the winner’s choice. Claudia Winkleman is back as host, and the series runs for ten hour long episodes on Thursday and Friday nights, ending on 30 October 2026. A companion show, The Celebrity Traitors Uncloaked, hosted by Ed Gamble, airs alongside the main series.
Inside Ardross Castle: The Rooms You See on Screen
Much of what you see on screen is the genuine castle. The grand entrance hall, the library and the drawing rooms are all real parts of Ardross Castle, dressed by the production team for each series. Sharp eyed viewers may notice that portraits and props change slightly between the UK and US versions, a small piece of television magic that gives each series its own identity.
The Round Table Room
The Round Table, where the most dramatic banishments take place, is staged inside one of the castle’s formal rooms. Candlelight, dark wood and stone walls do most of the atmospheric work, and the production team leans into the gothic mood with careful lighting. It is television’s most stressful dinner party, and the room plays its part perfectly.
The Turret and the Grand Interiors
The famous turret, where the Traitors meet in secret each night to plot their next move, is part of the castle’s Scottish Baronial architecture, all pointed towers and ornate stonework. Inside, the castle matches its exterior drama, with high ceilings, carved plasterwork and period furnishings that need very little dressing to look magnificent on camera.
The Grounds and the Missions
The daytime missions unfold across the estate’s parkland. When you see players rolling barrels up a hill, digging in a graveyard or racing through woodland to find shields, they are on the castle grounds. The hundred acres of land give producers endless room for physical challenges, and the unpredictable Highland weather adds its own drama to every task.
The Story of Ardross Castle
Ardross Castle looks like an ancient medieval fortress, but its real story is more layered. The site began as a hunting lodge in the late seventeen hundreds, built for the first Duke of Sutherland. In 1845 the estate was bought by Sir Alexander Matheson for ninety thousand pounds, an enormous sum at the time.
Matheson hired the architect Alexander Ross to transform the property into the grand Scottish Baronial mansion that viewers recognise today. Ross added around thirty rooms to the original building, along with formal lawns, a pond and a fountain. The result is the turreted, gothic style castle that photographs so beautifully on television.
The McTaggart Family Era
Over the following century the castle passed through several wealthy owners. One of them was C W Dyson Perrins, heir to the Lea and Perrins sauce fortune, who modernised the house and expanded the gardens. In 1983 the McTaggart family purchased the estate and began a long programme of renovation, turning it into the luxury events venue and sought after filming location it is today.
When Was Celebrity Traitors Series 2 Filmed
Series two was filmed in May and June 2026, months before it reached television screens. The celebrities began arriving in the Highlands at the start of May, with local reports noting their arrival at Inverness Airport on Sunday 3 May. Filming then continued for around three weeks.
This long gap between filming and broadcast is standard for the show. It gives the production team the summer to edit ten hour long episodes into shape, and it means the moody atmosphere you see on screen is really late spring in the Highlands. The production company behind the series is Studio Lambert, the same team behind the civilian version.
The broadcast run started on BBC One on 1 October 2026, with episodes at eight o clock on Thursday and Friday nights. The final is expected on 30 October, and every episode is also available on BBC iPlayer for viewers who prefer to stream.
Where the Celebrities Really Sleep at Night
Here is the show’s best kept open secret. The celebrities do not sleep at Ardross Castle. The scenes that show contestants heading off to their castle bedrooms after a dramatic day of plotting are staged for the cameras. Once filming wraps each night, the cast are driven away from the castle to their real beds.
Just like the civilian contestants, the celebrities stay at a Courtyard by Marriott hotel near Inverness Airport, a drive of around thirty to forty minutes from the castle. The hotel is comfortable but entirely ordinary, a world away from the gothic luxury viewers see on screen. It is chosen for logistics rather than glamour. Production needs a single secure base that can house the entire cast and crew while keeping the players properly isolated from the outside world. No phones, no contact, no leaks.
There is also a straightforward practical reason the cast could not stay at the castle even if they wanted to. Ardross Castle is not a hotel and does not let individual rooms. The estate’s own website says so plainly. The building operates as an exclusive venue for weddings, private events and filming, and nothing else.
Can You Visit Ardross Castle Yourself
For fans hoping to walk the same corridors as the contestants, the news is disappointing. Ardross Castle is a private estate and does not offer public tours. You cannot book a day trip, and as an individual guest you cannot stay overnight. The castle can be glimpsed from nearby roads and footpaths, but visitors are asked to respect the private grounds, and security staff are often posted at the gates.
There is exactly one way to sleep at the castle. The estate hires out the entire property for exclusive weddings and corporate events, with two night packages starting from around forty five thousand pounds. Availability is extremely limited and the venue is reportedly booked far in advance, so this is an option for very deep pockets only.
Seeing the Area Around the Castle
If you still want to experience the landscape from the show, base yourself in Inverness. The castle lies about thirty five minutes north of the city by car via the A9, or you can take the train to Alness and continue by taxi. The surrounding Highlands offer superb walking, including trails up Ben Wyvis, and Inverness itself rewards a visit, with its own castle, museum and the lovely River Ness walk.
Why Ardross Castle Is Perfect for the Show
Producers could have built a set in a studio, but a real castle delivers something a set never could. Ardross Castle gives the show instant atmosphere: centuries of history in the stonework, genuine isolation in the Highland landscape, and interiors that look expensive without any effort. The location was deliberately chosen to feel cut off from the modern world, with no city lights or motorways to break the spell.
It also works on a practical level. One hundred acres of private land means missions, cameras and crew can operate without any public interference. The combination of grand interiors and wild grounds lets the show move between intimate psychological drama and big physical challenges within a single episode. After several series across the UK and US versions, the building has become as much a star of the show as Claudia Winkleman herself.
The Bottom Line
So where is Celebrity Traitors series 2 filmed? At Ardross Castle in the Scottish Highlands, the same nineteenth century estate that has hosted every UK series of the show. The new run was shot there in May and June 2026, with twenty one celebrities competing for charity under the watchful eye of Claudia Winkleman.
- Series two films at Ardross Castle near Alness, about thirty miles north of Inverness in the Scottish Highlands
- Filming took place in May and June 2026, ahead of the 1 October 2026 premiere on BBC One
- The celebrities sleep at an airport hotel near Inverness, not in the castle itself
- The castle is a private venue with no public tours, though full estate hire starts from around forty five thousand pounds
- The US version of the show films at the same castle, on a separate schedule
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Celebrity Traitors series 2 filmed?
At Ardross Castle in the Scottish Highlands, near Alness and about thirty miles north of Inverness. It is the same castle used for every UK series of The Traitors and the first celebrity series.
Can you stay overnight at Ardross Castle?
Not as an individual guest. The castle is not a hotel and does not let rooms. The only way to sleep there is to hire the entire estate for an exclusive wedding or event, with two night packages starting from around forty five thousand pounds.
Do the Celebrity Traitors contestants sleep in the castle?
No. Although the show suggests otherwise, the cast are driven each night to a Courtyard by Marriott hotel near Inverness Airport, a drive of around thirty to forty minutes from the castle.
When was Celebrity Traitors series 2 filmed?
In May and June 2026. The celebrities arrived in the Highlands at the start of May and filming ran for around three weeks, ahead of the series premiere on 1 October 2026.
Is the US version of The Traitors filmed at the same castle?
Yes. The American version, presented by Alan Cumming, also films at Ardross Castle. The two productions shoot on separate schedules, so the casts never cross paths.
