Victorian Castle

This fine Victorian Castle sits in 3,000 acres of beautiful family estate in the heart of Royal  Deeside in Aberdeenshire. The castle is available for a wide variety of private and corporate functions such as weddings, house parties, meetings and seminars, receptions, gourmet dinners and concerts. House parties, by prior arrangement, for private groups of six or more guests, are a speciality.

The rental rate shown is for a notional self-catering price for full occupancy for a week. As we don't do self-catering added to the rental rates will be charges for drinks, dinner and breakfast for the duration of your stay. Discounted rates for smaller groups are available on request. Please enquire.

This is also the Laird's family home and guests enjoy the personal hospitality of Andrew and Nicola who, through their great enjoyment of their beautiful home give you a unique insight into this magical world. The estate enterprises include farming, forestry, salmon fishing and game shooting, property rentals and quarrying. There is also a baking and preserve-making operation.

From the moment you step into the marble entrance hall you are welcomed into a warm and friendly atmosphere of elegant comfort. Food and wines are excellent - where possible we use local produce and the result is magnificent cuisine within the ambience of a graceful house party in the grandest of surroundings.

There are 15 bedrooms in total - 4 singles and 12 doubles/twins. The reception rooms and bedrooms are furnished with antiques, mostly from the 17th - 19th centuries. Looking out from the castle at the wonderful scenery of Deeside it is hard to see why anyone would want to try to improve upon the natural beauty of the place.

Within landscape such as this it is hard to say where the garden starts and stops. The many belts of trees that surround the fields and drives close to the castle are part of a designed landscape. Within them are a wide variety of exotic trees.

The gardens proper consist of three main sections. The woodland garden, the lawns and park and the walled garden. The lawns set off the house splendidly and merge with the park beyond. Wild flowers grow there and the plan is to encourage more. The woodland garden is best seen from its network of grassy paths in late May or early June when it is ablaze with azaleas and rhododendrons. In the walled garden we have nurtured wild flowers as well as more cultivated varieties and the evolution of the garden into a haven has been an immense pleasure.

*Please note, locations shown on the maps are approximations only

Royal Deeside, just 25 miles (say 40 mins) from Aberdeen and its airport. The area is spectacularly beautiful and there is much to entice besides scenery. There are many castles and gardens to visit, there's some excellent shopping and a few whisky distilleries too.

The castle overlooks the eastern side of the Cairngorms National Park. There is a wide variety of activities available at the castle or at nearby Deeside Activity Park which is less than 3 miles away. Events range from organised 'team-building' sessions with a variety of individual activities making up the day. We bring in professional event organisers for such occasions.

The following are examples of activities that can be organised: Clay Pigeon Shooting, Off-road 4WD Driving Instruction, Team Building Exercises, Land-Rover Safari/Estate Tour, Highland Games, Abseiling, Orienteering, Fly-fishing Instruction, JCB Digger Driving, Rifle Target Shooting, Quad & Mountain Biking, Cross Bow Shooting, Pilot Buggy Driving, Falconry, Game Shooting, Salmon Fishing. Whether you want to 'be organised' by expert guides or whether you want to go it alone we're sure we can surely find something to suit the active.

Walking: From a ten minute stroll around the garden to a day-long guided expedition into the hills we've got walks to suit everyone.

Golf courses abound. We have 40 courses and 2 driving-ranges within a 30-mile radius. Famous courses are Royal Aberdeen and Cruden Bay but charming Aboyne, just a few minutes away, is worth a visit.

Riding: Several options here. From short rides through to half-day and day-long expeditions up into the hills with lunch in panniers.

Cycling: Borrow one of our bikes or hire locally for some fresh air and exercise.

Tennis: We have a fine all weather court and can supply racquets and balls. Bring your soft soled shoes.

Shooting and Fishing are also available - but these need forward planning to get the best out them.

Please note that we don't offer self-catering rentals. The price quoted on the website is a notional self-catering one to which will be added a charge for catering which covers everything from afternoon tea, a delicious 4-course dinner and a full cooked breakfast and that includes drinks before and after dinner and 3 wines with dinner. There is a limit on the after dinner drinking covered in this charge.

Catering: We have a pool of cooks we have used and of who's food we approve. Generally speaking for events lasting more than a couple of days we bring in one of these cooks as the residential chef for the duration of your stay. For one-off dinners and short stays we sometimes use our excellent local caterers who know the kitchen well. When possible we like to utilise the best local foods. This is a practice supported by the many well known chefs who have cooked here for clients over the years including Anthony Worrall-Thomson, Brian Turner, Paul Rankin, Gordon Ramsay, Nick Nairn, James Martin, Ross Burdon, Aldo Zilli, Chris and James Tanner, Theo Randall, Ed Baines, Matt Tebbutt and Louisa Bradford. Please note that we can't guarantee to get these chaps to cook for you but we do try to provide delicious food and serve it with appropriate yummy wines.

Meeting Services: The castle is an excellent location for meetings. You get away from the office, it is a discreet location and our policy of exclusive-use only means that no-one need know you're here. Having spent literally thousands of hours in meetings ourselves we are well acquainted with what makes a bad meeting room and how that affects the meeting itself. Too often we have found ourselves meeting in rooms that are dingy and dark or even with no natural daylight at all. We are keen to avoid this. We know how much more productive people are when they’re in good surroundings and a friendly and homely atmosphere. Our new Board Room started in operation in the autumn of 2008. It is a fine, light and airy room with a 10 ft. high ceiling and five large windows which look out onto the lawns and gardens.  Easily accessible this room is on the ground floor. We have an adjacent break-out room in which we can also serve refreshments to avoid interrupting your meeting by clattering tea cups. We provide the usual meeting materials, flip charts etc. Projection is onto the wall which makes an excellent screen.  We can hire you a projector if required.We provide teas & coffee – usually on a self-service basis. We can also provide bacon rolls to start your day. For lunch we generally find that soup, filled rolls, cheeseboard and fruit bowl fit the bill as this allows for that little bit of flexibility that can sometimes creep into the timing of meetings. We can also provide a grand dinner party to end the meeting and, of course, overnight stays are an option. Please ask for more details. For larger groups our Great Hall can be set up for theatre style meetings or for meetings around a number of small tables. Again, the room is light and airy and a pleasant place in which to meet. We have seated as many as 80 here in theatre-style layout but please note that we can't handle that number for a sit down meal.

- House Parties and accommodation: capacity from 6 to 26.
- Meetings: Boardroom layout - up to 30; Theatre style - up to 60.
- Concerts: Up to 80.
- Dinner Parties: Up to 56.
- Weddings: Receptions in the castle: Up to 120. Weddings: Using Marquee Site: Up to 400.
- Marquee Events: Up to 400.

- Security deposit: £1000. This is paid on arrival and will be refunded in full after departure subject to damage inspection.
- Linen & towels: All linen and bath towels are included in the rental price.
- Catering charge will be added to the notional self-catering rate and this must be paid ahead of your arrival.
- Energy costs: Included in the rental price.
- End of stay cleaning: Included. Please leave the property in the state that you found it.
- Arrival time: 4pm onwards.
- Departure time: 10am.
- Pets: Please enquire.
- Smoking: No smoking in the property.
- It is recommended that all guests take out insurance to cover against potential cancellation and any accidental damage caused during your stay at the property.

What a unique experience. Your warm hospitality in a breathtakingly beautiful setting provided a special memory. It put a new standard to a business conference!

Anonymous

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We shall never forget the extraordinary warmth of your welcome. You two are wonderful hosts and you spoilt us rotten. You have a very special house, and you have the great gift of being able to share it with people you’ve never met before, treat them as friends and make them feel completely at home.

Anonymous

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Thank you for looking after us so well. I knew it would be special but you exceeded my wildest expectations and from my colleagues who tend to "get about a bit" - you clearly exceeded theirs too. It really did feel like home but within which we had the ability to have a continuous meeting, uninterrupted and supported with everything that we needed.

Anonymous

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Your warmth and hospitality is unsurpassed and of course both of you, with endless talent in music and story telling, makes staying with you a magical moment in time. It was an enormous milestone in my life and I just wanted you to know and send you both heartfelt thanks always.

Anonymous

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What a wonderful place for meeting, a homely environment rather than yet another nice hotel. Superb.

Anonymous

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Had a great offsite meeting here, fantastic hospitality and a warm and cosy castle.

Anonymous

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I can only echo the sentiments above, a fabulous house and an entirely memorable stay.

Anonymous

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Beside the fact that we have had an unforgettable time due to our dearest friends and to the most delightful environment, to the great programme with wine-tasting, ocean liners, sight-seeing, pony trekking, castle sketching, to the Church service. Each meal was a gourmet's treat, and the wines were outstanding. These elegant dinners and breakfasts challenge and inspire the day-to-day food I prepare at home. I could go on and on, because the thought and organisation you put into our visit went way beyond our expectation. We felt very much at home, and part of your setting. Your graceful manner, and desire to share the heart of the castle and Scotland made this a happy memory for our lifetime.

Anonymous

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I've come home to Scotland for the second time in 3 months in 42 years! The wind, the rain, the sunshine, the hail all rolled into 100 hours. I've met new friends, re-acquainted with old ways - roamed around the links, the moors and always came 'Home' to this castle - the most spectacular place. Thank you for your hospitality, your warmth and a most fabulous holiday.

Anonymous

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We had the most wonderful wedding day at the castle - way beyond what we could have ever hoped for. The sunshine was unbelievable, but it was nothing compared to the huge amount of work that you both put in with everyone behind the scenes. Thank you so much for making our family, our friends and ourselves feel so welcome. We got home on Sunday to be overwhelmed by thank you cards filled with kind words from the guests. I think everyone is now under the castle's spell!

Anonymous

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