We decided to have a bit of a castle theme to our weekend and with no shortage of them in these parts we (husband and son) ventured north to Crathes Castle in Aberdeenshire. We had never visited here before and as we walked through the woods it was quite exciting waiting for that first glimpse of a turret or flag between the trees. We weren't disappointed...
It really is a lovely castle, the picture doesn't show it but it's slightly pink in colour and is like one of those ornate sandcastles. Although we didn't get to see inside (a 45 minute tour may have been a bit much for J), we did have a good snoop around the grounds.
By coincidence, or maybe not, I am reading I Capture the Castle for the first time and I am completely spellbound. It's a book that really draws you in and has my romantic head spinning. I just can't put it down. More about that in a second.
Continuing our trail, today we ventured a bit closer to home to Ecclesgreig Castle near St Cyrus. Privately owned and at the moment in quite a dismal state of disrepair, I still thought it charming and mysterious and in fact out of both castles visited, I preferred this one. It desperately needs some TLC, and you can see why below:
The castle was built in the Victorian Gothic style in 1844 onto the remains of a sixteenth century Manor House. It is being renovated by the current Farquhar family which has involved planting almost a million snowdrops in an effort to return the woodlands to their former glory. And very pretty they were too.
What struck me most was how much it looked like the image I had in my head of Cassandra's dilapidated home in the book. I imagined her sitting at one of those broken windows struggling to write in the fading light of the moon. It really sent shivers down my spine and I couldn't wait to get back home to read more!
It's been a lovely weekend, we made the most of the spring sunshine although today was a bit more typical of the season - a fitting backdrop nevertheless for sad old Ecclesgreig. Thank you to the lovely boys in my life - D and J, for a special Mother's Day and wishing all you yummy mummys out there a very happy one too. x
Crathes Castle - oh these pictures of yours bring back so many lovely memories. I used to work as an au-pair in Aberdeenshire some 10ish years ago. Every weekend my friends and I would go around and have a look at the beautiful Scottish scenery. All these adorable castles and Manors, these lush gardens and the green fields ... I liked Crathes Castle the most because of its shape and size. And it was rather close, so I visited quite often. Sometimes just wandering around the grounds just like you did. Thanks for reminding me of these good times.
Posted by: Andrea | 03/13/2008 at 03:05 PM