Length: 2 Days | Budget: $$
Aberdeenshire is a great region to explore during a weekend getaway, or as an extension of a Scottish Highlands road trip from Edinburgh. From rugged coastlines, to romantic castles and green countrysides…Aberdeenshire samples a bit of everything. The area is known as ‘Scotland’s Castle Country’, boasting an impressive 300+ castles, mansions, and ruins, with more castles per acre than anywhere else in the UK. We spent a weekend exploring the area (and fulfilling all of my childhood Disney princess fantasies), leaving from Inverness and ending our visit in the port town of Aberdeen. Check out our itinerary below.
Day 1: Speyside Whiskey Trail + Fyvie Castle + Castle Fraser
Our morning was spent driving from Inverness to the heart of Speyside where we toured the Glenlivet Whiskey Disterilly (the oldest licensed distillery in the area), and visited the Strathisla Distillery (which may very well be the most beautiful distillery in Speyside). I’m not a big whiskey drinker (in fact, I’ll admit that I had a hard time putting down the complimentary drams that were handed to us), but the tours were actually really interesting! We got to tour the grounds, learn about how whiskey is made, and also learn some Scottish history.
Afterwards, we made our way to the beautiful baronial-style castle of Fyvie. Our route was a pleasant and scenic drive through the Scottish countryside – we passed by so many quaint villages that it was hard not to stop the car every 15 minutes to take a picture! At one point during the drive, we took a wrong turn that took us down a questionable dirt path and found ourselves looking up at a medieval castle archway, which looked like it came right out of a Disney princess movie….
We were starving by the time we made it to Fyvie, so we started the visit by having a relaxing lunch in the castle team room before taking a guided tour of the castle and learning about it’s tumultuous history (apparently, the ownership has passed across 5 different families).
We then made our way to Castle Fraser. Dating back to the 15th century, the magnificent building looks elegant and haunting, surrounded by over 300 acres of woodland and farmland. Legend has it that a young princess staying in the castle was brutally murdered while sleeping in the ‘Green Room’ – she now haunts the castle corridors at night and is known as the ‘green lady’. Eek. There’s also a secret chamber above the great hall, which was apparently built so that the laird could eavesdrop on his visitors!
Day 1 ended with us driving to Aberdeen where we stayed in an AirBnB for the night. I have to admit, I don’t have much to say about Aberdeen….we found that the city felt a bit dreary and gray (it is in fact a very gray city, since most of the buildings have been built with gray stone). There’s a reason they call Aberdeen the Granite City!
Day 2: Craigievar + Drum + Stonehaven + Dunnottar Castles
Our 2nd day in Castle Country started out with a visit to Craigievar Castle – one of the most enchanting castles I’ve ever seen complete with rolling hills, high-peaked towers, and a bubblegum pink exterior. Apparently, Craigievar is rumored to have been the inspiration for Walt Disney’s Cinderella castle!
Then, we visited Drum Castle, one of Scotland’s most unique castles. The oldest part of the castle was constructed in the 13th century, but the subsequent addition of a mansion house and several Victorian lairds make Drum an odd (but beautiful) mish-mash of architectural styles. Also, there’s a nice stroll near Drum Castle through the Old Wood of Drum. The trees in the area date back to the 1700s!
TIP: For lunch, head to the coastal village of Stonehaven. Here you can try the original, famous deep-fried Mars Bar at the Carron Fish Bar – but be warned…each bar is said to have over 1,200 calories!
Our last visit of the day was by far my most favorite part of Castle Country. The ruins of Dunnottar Castle are one of the most striking landmarks in Scotland. The medieval fortress looked both grand and romantic, perched at the top of the cliff at the edge of the North Sea (for the best view of the castle, take the footpath that veers to the right from the main castle pathway). It’s a castle with major historical significance – it was at Dunnottar Castle where a small group of soldiers were able to hold-out against a mighty army led by Oliver Cromwell and save the Scottish Crown Jewels! It’s also been graced with royal visitors such as Mary, Queen of Scots and William Wallace. We loved reading about the history of the place, exploring the site of the ruins, and admiring the coastal views. It was the perfect way to end our trip!
TIP ON GETTING BACK: Aberdeen Airport offers several international destination routes, and is a frequent stop on Icelandair or Ryanair flights. Alternatively, Edinburgh is a short 2-hour drive away from Aberdeen!
Want more details or need help planning a visit to Aberdeenshire? Sign-up for my e-mail list or shoot me a comment/question below!
[contact-form-7 id=”1264″ title=”Contact form 1″]
Leave a Reply