We will be in Aberdeen May 27, 28, 29. I'm thinking one day in town, and then would like to see some castles and/or gardens. I've been looking for tours, but not finding anything available. I think I would like to go to Balmoral - I understand you only see the ballroom, but there are gardens, too, I think?? And that tour (which isn't available) also goes to a waterfall, stone circle and a few other things, it sounds like what I was looking for. I am not up for paying several hundred pounds for a private tour.
We are in our 70's and my husband does not want to drive in Scotland. Does anyone have suggestions on best and/or easiest castles and gardens to see? Or are we just going to have to drive to get out in the countryside?
Many thanks
Posted by
Delaware
1376 posts
Hi, Carolyn,
Driving out of Aberdeen is very easy, as long as you drive on the left! The A93, which is the route you'd be taking to get to Balmoral Castle, as well as Crathes Castle, Drum Castle, and Braemar Castle, is a very straightforward road. It's two lanes (one eastbound; one westbound) all the way out.
If you wanted to see some of the more spectacular castles, like Fyvie and Dunnottar, or gardens like Pitmedden, you would definitely need to take some back roads.
Looking at the tours which are available, a few of them seem appealing. Some of them only give a quick stop at some of the locations, and as you noted, not much of the interior of Balmoral is available for viewing. But still, they are not overly expensive. I hope that you find some availability during your time in the Granite City.
If you don't mind taking public transportation, the Stagecoach 201 bus drives out to Braemar, so you could use that bus to visit Crathes Castle, Balmoral Castle, Crathie Kirk, and Braemar Castle. Drum Castle is a little bit farther from the bus stop, but still doable. If you're going out to Braemar, the 201 bus only travels west of Ballater at certain times, so if you're going to Braemar, you need to be more aware of the schedule. Using the bus, you could stop for lunch in Ballater or Banchory, where there are several good restaurants. If you stop in Banchory, you could walk down to the Falls of Feugh. I'm not sure whether the salmon will be leaping in May.
The gardens at Crathes Castle are very attractive in late spring. Aberdeen has some beautiful parks and gardens. In fact, they won the Britain in Bloom competitions so many times in the past that they were no longer allowed to compete. You should definitely check out the Winter Gardens at Duthie Park. They are spectacular (and free!). The new Union Terrace Gardens should have reopened by next month - they are in the heart of the city.
One of our regular contributors lives in Banchory, so he may have some additional suggestions.
Hope that provides you with a head start.
Best wishes for your travels.
Mike (Auchterless)
Posted by
Banchory, Scotland
268 posts
As unusual Mike (Auchterless) has given a very informative response to a question and there's not really much I can add :-)
However I would advise you not to bother visiting Balmoral unless it is on a bucket list. Only one room is open to the public and although over the years additions have been made to improve the visitor experience it is not, in my opinion, a place which will give you value for money. Yes you can walk in the grounds and gardens but there are plenty of good walks in Royal Deeside and Aberdeenshire as a whole which you do not need to pay for the privilege of doing.
I understand your husband's reluctance to drive in Scotland. As Mike has said Crathes Castle and Drum Castle are two places which you could reach with ease on the 201 bus from Aberdeen. I have visited both although more years ago than I like to think about but they were very interesting places.
https://www.nts.org.uk/visit/places/crathes-castle
https://www.nts.org.uk/visit/places/drum-castle
Across the road from Crathes Castle is the MIlton of Crathes which you can reach on foot and may be of interest as a place to have lunch
www.leysestate.com/milton-of-crathes
Likewise the Mains of Drum is a short walk from Drum Castle and a good place for lunch as well.
Both castles are National Trust for Scotland run properties and it might be worthwhile joining the organisation to save money on entrance fees. It could work out as cost effective if you plan to visit any other NTS properties during you time in Scotland.
If you wanted to visit Dunnottar (not NTS) then it's a short ride on the railway from Aberdeen to Stonehaven and a walk or taxi ride from there. As you may know there are lots of steps to negotiate on the site and if the weather is very windy a decision may be made to close for health and safety reasons.
The following websites should help when planning journeys
Hope this helps :-)
Posted by
Paris
9580 posts
Here are options from the highly recommended Rabbie's Tours that depart from Aberdeen.
https://rabbies.com/en/scotland-tours
(Well, given the name of the page, I think it bumped back out from where I had specially filtered for trips leaving from Aberdeen, but you can do the same yourself once on the page!)
Posted by
OP
Mission Viejo, Ca
32 posts
Thanks so much everyone for your input! Despite reservations, we decided to rent a car, it allows us so much more flexibility and better use of our time. The current plan is one day to see Cairnes castle and gardens and go to Banchory to see the Falls of Feugh. Another day we we plan to check out Dunnottar from across the road, then head to Pitmedden for the day. I’m getting so excited for this piece of our trip!
Posted by
Delaware
1376 posts
Hi again, Carolyn,
As you've decided to hire a car, and since you're going to visit Pitmedden Gardens, you definitely should consider going a few miles up the road and visiting Fyvie Castle. Not only is the castle spectacular, but the gardens are gorgeous, as well.
If you decide not to take an NTS membership, which covers Crathes, Pitmeddan, and Fyvie, you can get a senior discount at all three. In most of the historic sites, you'll see a lower price listed for "concessions". That's us!
In addition to Duthie Park and Union Terrace Gardens, Aberdeen's parks include Hazlehead Park, Victoria Park, and Johnston Gardens. Hazlehead is the largest, but Victoria Park and Johnston Gardens give you more bang for your buck, as they say. Even moreso, as they're all free!
Enjoy!
Best wishes,
Mike (Auchterless)
p.s.: As you're visiting Dunnottar, unless it's raining, you should walk out from the car park as far as you can go before the path drops off. You can go about a couple of hundred yards on an easy path until the steps drop away. At that point, you can decide whether or not you want to tackle the steps. It's okay going down the steps - it's coming back up that is the hard part. The good thing is that you don't have to pay anything until you actually enter the castle. Years ago, you had to pay before you went down the path, and the tickets were sold by the car park..