Fyvie Castle
Fyvie
Turriff
Aberdeenshire AB53 8JS
Why should we visit?
In a corner of Scotland renowned for impressive castles, the pink-harled walls and fairytale turrets of Fyvie are amongst the finest in the county. History here stretches back a very long time and William the Lion, Robert the Bruce and Charles I have all been guests under its roof. Today’s visitors come to admire the art collection, which includes portraits by Raeburn and Gainsborough, and to walk in the extensive grounds, which are home to gardens, a lake and magnificent trees.
Story of the garden
The gardens that exist today were set out by General William Gordon in the late 18th century and they include all the classical features of a great house at that time. In the subsequent years the estate was planted up with new trees arriving from the colonies and since the castle came into the care of the National Trust for Scotland, many features have been restored.
Highlights
The walled garden is home to the Garden of Scottish Fruits - a decorative orchard and vegetable plot, laid out to resemble the ceiling in the castle’s dining room. It was developed in the 1990s and was one of the first gardens in the country to plant heritage varieties of Scottish apples and pears, many of them trained up the walls as well as free-standing in the orchard lawn.
The beds around them are full of pumpkins, rhubarb, onions, carrots and all the other essentials of a well-stocked vegetable plot, while the herbaceous border, which runs the full length of the garden, is filled with delphiniums and lupins.
The bright dahlias that are grown amongst the edibles help to turn the entire garden into a decorative potager.
Don’t Miss
The lake that runs alongside the driveway is a magnet for wildlife and the estate is home to red squirrels that in autumn can be seen collecting stores for the winter ahead.
Anything else to look out for?
The Forbes-Leiths, who were amongst the powerful Aberdeenshire families to have owned Fyvie Castle over the centuries, made their fortune from America’s abundant natural resources, and so they planted an American Garden, full of trees and shrubs from the continent that provided them with their wealth.
Best time to visit?
In autumn the orchard is at its best and the herbaceous border is still flowering.
Earlier in the year there is an abundance of blossom and the grounds can be enjoyed all year round.
Any recommendations in the area?
Crovie is the smallest of the 18th century fishing villages that are nestled into the cliffs on the north coast of Banff and Buchan. The houses were built gable-end to the sea to help them withstand the waves and the only road in and out is a steep drop down hairpin bends.
Directions
Fyvie Castle is just off the A947 between Old Meldrum and Turriff.
Details:
Tickets: £14.50/£11
Family ticket: £33
Castle open Thursday - Sunday,10.30am - 4.30pm until 30 October
Grounds and gardens open daily, 9am - dusk, all year round.
Tel: 01651 891266
Email: fyvie@nts.org.uk
www.nts.org.uk
Laundry Cottage near Gartly sits on the banks of the River Bogie. At 600ft above sea level, this part of Aberdeenshire is renowned for its harsh winters, where snowdrifts can reach 3m in height.
That hasn’t prevented the owners of Laundry Cottage from creating a photogenic garden, using the steep slopes down to the river for wild plantings, punctuated with rustic benches and moss-covered stone cairns.
In spring these slopes are covered in snowdrops, while in late summer the herbaceous borders close to the house are still in flower.
There’s a productive vegetable garden and in the orchard area the trees are laden with autumn fruits.
This is a year-round garden and it is carried through the winter months by bark and stems in bright colours.
The garden is open by arrangement through Scotland’s Gardens Scheme www.scotlandsgardens.org
Laundry Cottage
Culdrain
Gartly
Huntly
Aberdeenshire AB54 4PY
In association with Discover Scottish Gardens www.discoverscottishgardens.org
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here