Aboyne stone circle and Crathes Castle

Our first weekend of car ownership has been rather nice. We can be a bit more spontaneous. With the car club you need to plan in advance and book it. With our own car we can just decide on the spur of the moment to go out. Yesterday we had dinner with some friends in… Continue reading Aboyne stone circle and Crathes Castle

Dunnottar Castle

Scotland has been voted the most beautiful country in the world by the Rough Guide. I agree with that sentiment. New Zealand has more striking landscapes but Scotland has history and culture and it's also safe - no earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanoes, cyclones, or dangerous animals. My mother is visiting and yesterday we went to Dunnottar… Continue reading Dunnottar Castle

Kildrummy Castle

There are so many castles in Aberdeenshire and I'm still discovering ones we've never seen, like Kildrummy Castle, which is where we went today. It's a ruin but in its hey-day it was known as the "noblest of northern castles". I'm not exactly sure what is meant by that but one thing is certain, Kildrummy… Continue reading Kildrummy Castle

Castles, seals, and Spiderman

Yesterday we checked out Knockhall Castle, the doer-upper which is currently for sale at £130,000. I think it's over-priced because there's very little land with it. The surrounding fields are all owned by someone else and not for sale - although I have heard the owner is open to the possibility of selling them. However… Continue reading Castles, seals, and Spiderman

Gardens and woodland walks at Crathes Castle

Most weekends I find myself craving for some fresh country air and a walk through the woods or up a hill. Today we satisfied my craving with a trip to Crathes Castle and a walk on one of the woodland trails there. I keep telling Ben we need a country house where we can spend… Continue reading Gardens and woodland walks at Crathes Castle

Castle Fraser

My aunt and uncle have left now - I thoroughly enjoyed having them here. We went to Castle Fraser on Thursday and I'm only just getting around to posting the pics. I haven't been there for over a year and it was wonderful. The walled garden is one of the best I've seen with a very… Continue reading Castle Fraser

Crathes Castle

My aunt and uncle are visiting this weekend and we so enjoyed our trip to Crathes Castle last weekend that we decided to do it again. Much to my amazement we were told we could take photos inside provided we didn't use the flash. The National Trust never let you take photos and so I've never… Continue reading Crathes Castle

Mediaeval battles at Drum Castle

We went to Drum Castle today. I have been itching to visit this castle again ever since our cycle ride from Banchory to Aberdeen via Drum Castle. It was so hot that day and we were so exhausted by the time we arrived at Drum Castle that I took one look at the tower with all its… Continue reading Mediaeval battles at Drum Castle

Castle Fraser

We went to another castle yesterday, Castle Fraser, which is about 16 miles west of Aberdeen. It's a Scottish baronial castle built in the 15th century. Like all of the castles we've visited so far it is surrounded by gardens and woods with lots of lovely walks. There was also a wonderful children's playground which was… Continue reading Castle Fraser

Crathes Castle

It has been a few weeks since we last went to a castle and I'm suffering from castle withdrawal symptoms so we took off for Crathes Castle which is about 15 miles south-west of Aberdeen. I've just recently discovered that Aberdeenshire has more castles per acre than anywhere else in Britain. They're everywhere! We booked… Continue reading Crathes Castle