A Moray castle has become the first National Trust for Scotland property to achieve a gold award in an eco-friendly tourism scheme.
Brodie Castle, near Forres, scooped the honour for the Green Tourism Business Scheme.
Judges toured sites across the UK for their green credentials and awarded them on a scale of bronze, silver and gold.
The scheme re-assesses sites every wo years, and this year the castle went from a silver award to a gold for the improvements made to sustainability, staff environmental awareness, involvement in local community projects and promotion of Fairtrade products.
Brodie Castle has also lowered their carbon footprint by encouraging visitors to cycle, walk and take public transport to the property.
Property manager Shona Ferguson said: “It was a team effort, with several members of staff and volunteers working together throughout the year to achieve the higher grading.
“They are a dedicated team who approached the task with a high degree of commitment, looking at everything from reducing energy use to improving recycling at Brodie.”
The final report from the Green Tourism Business Scheme said: “A gold award is a deserved result, given the dedication of the team to the programme and sustainability.”
The 16th century castle was lived in by the Brodie clan until 2003, and was partially destroyed by the rival clan Gordon in the 17th century.