The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Castle HUNTING
Aberdeenshire has a unique claim to fame... It has more castles per acre than anywhere else in the UK, which explains why it’s referred to as Scotland’s Castle Country. It has more than 300 castles, stately homes and ruins scattered across its dramatic landscape, some of them picturepostcard pretty and romantic while others have bloody tales to tell that will send shivers scudding down your spine.
Whether you’re a history fan, a lover of good architecture and plush gardens or simply enjoy hearing stories of Scotland’s dramatic past, you’ll have a great day out exploring the castle trail that runs across Aberdeenshire.
On your travels, look out for the distinctive brown and white Castle Trail road signs that let you know you’re on the right road.
Click on to Visitscotland.
com and you’ll find a suggested sixday itinerary that covers 311 miles in Aberdeenshire and takes you to some rather special castles.
Among them is the well-preserved ruins of Dunnottar Castle in Stonehaven.
Perched 160ft above the North Sea, it’s easy to see why movie director Franco Zeffirelli chose the dramatic cliff-top castle in his film Hamlet.
If you’re lucky, you may even see puffins or dolphins from the castle ramparts.
About 16 miles west of Aberdeen, near Sauchen, stands Castle Fraser, one of the grandest castles of Mar.
It has splendid interiors, including a great hall filled with fine furniture and paintings, while outside there’s a lovely walled garden, woodland trails and a great kiddies’ adventure playground.
Follow the trail to Fraserburgh and swing by Delgatie Castle.
Remember to look up as the castle has magnificent painted ceilings.
While in the area, consider visiting the Museum of Scottish Lighthouses, and for a smaller type of historic home, there’s Maggie’s Hoose, a preserved fisher cottage close to the rocky coastline at Inverallochy.
Distinctive thanks to its pinkish hue, Fyvie Castle, which is cared for by the National Trust for Scotland, is also worth a visit.
This superb fortress is more than 800 years old and has stories of ghosts, kings and legends to tell.
Here you can see fabulous antiquities or lose yourself for a few hours in the wonderful gardens.
For full details of all the stunning properties to be found in Aberdeenshire, log on to www.visitscotland.com