My sister rang first thing this morning sounding very upset because she had slept in and missed her flight and was consequently unable to come and visit us this weekend. We were all very disappointed and so we took off for Fyvie Castle to lift our spirits.
Fyvie Castle is an enormous 13th century castle about 28 miles NW of Aberdeen. It houses an impressive collection of Gainsborough and Raeburn paintings and is quite palatial on the inside. It looks like something out of a fairy tale and is a popular place for weddings. Indeed, there was a wedding in progress during our visit today.
There’s a loch in the castle grounds with a very pleasant walking path all the way around. It’s supposedly home to otters but we didn’t see any. Our kids are so noisy that most of the wildlife scatters well in advance of our arrival. The castle gardens were also lovely and have a very productive vegetable garden.
We booked the electric car – a Renault Zoe – which has a range of about 80 miles. The distance to and from Fyvie Castle was at most 60 miles so we had more than enough range. We could have gone much further because when we got back the Dashboard said we’d only used 41 miles in total. This is because the car charges while you’re driving. When you coast downhill, for instance, you can see the battery charging again.
It’s so nice to be able to take off to a castle whenever we want and also to have so much choice.
rachel.blog 
Looks like Elizabeth has acquired Scottish legs. It must be the food. 😀
Haha. Her tights have circles all over them which do have a bit of a tartan appearance from a distance but close up it’s just circles.
Oh dear what a shame about your sister. It is nice that you were able to go somewhere so sweet to make up for the disappointment – it’s like a fairy tale!
It might just be a Lewes thing but I have discovered that the Co-wheels cars have notebooks for you to log messages about the state of the car etc. Some people get quite interactive eg “There is not room for me to put my dog in this car.” “You are not supposed to have a dog in this car.” “Sorry!” and “I wish my car was as clean as this.” “If you have a car, why are you hiring one?” Funny how people can get so argumentative with people they haven’t met. Our Lewes cars are Toyotas, and what I thought was an electric car (cos it makes hardly any noise) is only a hybrid. I hope we will upgrade to electric one day.
We don’t have notebooks for messages but that’s funny and a good idea. I do sometimes wonder about who else is using the car. We have also taken the hybrid out on occasion. It’s dearer and you have to pay for fuel but it can cover a longer distance so good for long trips. The electric cars are the cheapest and there are quite a few in Aberdeen now.
Yet another wonderful day to read about. The castle’s environs look gorgeous judging by your photos. What a shame your sister didn’t make it. Will she be able to visit next weekend?
We’re hoping she’ll be able to come sometime soon but next weekend we’re in Edinburgh so it won’t be then. We’ve already booked our train and hotel and we’re meeting up with a friend of Ben’s from New Zealand who’ll be there at the same time.
That castle looks majestic. Thanks for sharing the pics. Sorry for you to miss your sister. Hope she makes it sometime soon again.
It was majestic. A lovely day too.