With fairy-tale towers set against rolling hills and surrounded by beautiful gardens and sprawling woodlands, Crathes is the picture book castle of imagination.

“You come up the main drive, which is part of the designed landscape and you see through the trees, catching snippets of the castle in the distance,” continued James Henderson, Operations Manager for the National Trust for Scotland, who counts Crathes among several other ‘workplaces’ in the North East of Scotland.

“Then you come around the back of the property and there’s castle in all its majesty. You never get bored of seeing it.

“In Spring through to Autumn, the grounds and gardens are in bloom and it’s beautiful. And even in the depths of winter, when it’s thick with snow, you get a whole different feel to the property. It really is a magical place.”

Behind the style lies substance, a history involving wars and intrigue, one which stretches all the way back to the Iron Age.

The castle is the family seat of the Burnetts, from their early days in a fortified crannog on a nearby bog, to the current site, where they moved in 1314 after being gifted the land by Robert the Bruce for their part in the Scottish Wars of Independence.

The family lived here for over 350 years with work beginning on the current towered castle in 1553. The Bruce also gave the Burnetts the Horn of Leys, which is still on display at Crathes today and forms part of the family crest.

Aerial footage and excavations also uncovered a site which was in use between 8000 and 4000 BC and may possibly be the world’s oldest lunar calendar – although investigations are still ongoing.

It seems that behind every door, down every meandering path, you discover another little nugget of Scottish history. Even the yew hedges in the immaculately maintained walled gardens date back to 1702.

“The gardens were voted among the top 50 in the world in 2017,” said James. “They are phenomenal.”

And beyond those hedgerows and walls, it gets really wild, in grounds which are home roe deer, red squirrels, woodpeckers, buzzards and herons.

Centuries of love

The gardens at Crathes are the culmination of centuries of work from generations of gardeners. They stand as one the castle’s greatest treasures and James explained: “You can look back on comprehensive notes from all periods of time. The gardeners here class themselves as custodian and stewards. They see themselves as part of an ongoing story. The gardens were here long before them and will be here long after they are gone. And while they are always working and developing, they always have one eye on the past.”

A picture-perfect world

Crathes itself is picture-perfect and inside lie a host of treasures. There is a portrait gallery and stunning décor, collected by generations of Burnetts. And that artistic tradition endures, with artist Carine Eunson hosting an introduction to printmaking on August 25. “The rooms themselves are a work of art,” said James. “You see children here, trying to find the characters through history on the painted ceilings. It is little touches like that which make it truly special.”

Take a trip through time

Crathes is bound with Scotland’s story, from the days of Bruce and the Horn of Leys, to the excavations at Warren Field, which uncovered 12 pits which appear to mirror phases of the moon and track lunar months. “It is theoretically possible, but there are no guarantees that it was a lunar calendar,” said James. “That doesn’t change the fact that the area of Crathes has been significant place and somewhere people have gathered and come back to for hundreds of years. And it remains so to this day.”

Go wild

The Mammal Atlas, produced in 2017 for the north east of Scotland and the Cairngorms, showed that Crathes was the area with the highest mammal species count. There were 27 different species found in the property. Among them you will find heron, otters, kingfishers, pine martens, red squirrels, deer and badgers. Just keep your eyes peeled when out on the trails.

Grease

The castle makes for a spectacular backdrop for outdoor plays and screenings and hot on the heels of a stage performance of Wuthering Heights, is one of the greatest modern love stories ever told. Join Sandy and Danny at a big screen cinema showing of the classic, Grease on August 30 and go back to the summer of 1958. What better way to spend the last days of summer as they drift away? And make sure you dig out your finest 1950s outfit for this one.

PIM Running Festival

Crathes is the starting point for the PIM Half Marathon on September 14, with the route taking in fellow National Trust for Scotland property, Drum Castle and finishing back at Crathes. The day includes the PIM Children’s 1.5k race and a cross-country PIM 5k for secondary-school age upwards. And there will be plenty on at the castle and grounds for spectators, if you are not feeling very athletic.

Join the festivities

Keep a close eye on the National Trust for Scotland website for new events as Crathes really is the place to celebrate the seasons. Whether that’s Halloween, with its ghost tours, Halloween event and outdoor cinema screenings. Or Christmas, where you can visit Santa’s grotto or join in on a range of festive activities. Crathes truly is a place for all seasons.

Crathes is cared for by the National Trust for Scotland. The conservation charity’s properties include eight national nature reserves, 38 gardens and landscapes, 46 Munros, 400 islands and inlets, 26 castles and great houses and thousands or precious artefacts. You can support their work by visiting or by joining as a member. For more information and to plan your visit enter your postcode at nts.org.uk

For your local event visit: https://www.nts.org.uk/