Live like a king... in Game of Thrones star Rose’s castle
£600-a-night home for hire on Airbnb
IN her on-screen career, she has stormed a fortress as a wild savage in Game of Thrones and played a housemaid in the stately setting of Downton Abbey.
Now fans of Scots actress Rose Leslie can rent the castle that was her childhood home.
The flame-haired 29-year-old grew up in the magnificent surroundings of Lickleyhead Castle near Auchleven, Aberdeenshire, which is now available to guests on rental website Airbnb.
The medieval tower – which has turrets and ancient bullet holes in the walls – is being advertised by Miss Leslie’s parents and can be booked exclusively for £600 a night.
In its majestic surroundings, guests can lounge in four-poster beds, dine in the Great Hall, or stay cosy next to the original medieval hearth.
The unusual rental has also shone a light on an unexpected extra talent of the successful actress – she is great at cooking chicken. Rose – whose full name is Rose Eleanor Arbuthnot-Leslie – lived in Lickleyhead, around 25 miles north-west of Aberdeen, until she was ten.
Her parents, Sebastian and Candida, moved but are now back, offering bedand-breakfast at the 15th century pile for £110 per room. Guests can also book the entire castle for a minimum two-night stay starting at £1,200.
The couple moved back in February this year, after running a bed and breakfast at another castle nearby.
In Game of Thrones, Rose played a savage Wildling warrior called Ygritte, known for her fiery temper and brusque manner. Her most famous line was the withering put-down: ‘You know nothing, Jon Snow’.
But in the past, she seems to have greeted her parents’ guests much more graciously.
One online review of their former business reads: ‘The Leslies were wonderful hosts and their daughter Rose took very good care of us.
‘When we arrived Rose cooked a lovely chicken dinner for us.’
Airbnb is an accommodation website popular with ordinary householders who pocket extra cash by renting out their spare rooms. But it is also used to promote more unusual properties, often unavailable elsewhere.
Last week Mrs Arbuthnot-Leslie, known as Candy, said of her decision to use the booking website: ‘My children all encouraged me to do it.
‘Rose uses it in other places. She said: “Why don’t you try it?” and helped me set it up.’
Sebastian Arbuthnot-Leslie is chieftain of the Aberdeenshire clan Leslie and Lickleyhead – built in 1499 – is the ancestral seat of the Clan Leslie. Set in ten acres, it has seven bedrooms and seven bathrooms and is ideal for weddings or family parties.
The owners offer up to three rooms at a time for B&B and if the entire property is booked, they stay elsewhere.
But despite its links to two of the world’s most famous TV series, fans are not yet arriving in their droves.
Mrs Arbuthnot-Leslie said:
‘Rose uses the site and said why not try it?’