top of page
  • Black Instagram Icon
Search

Castle Week

Andrew Donatelli

Updated: Apr 4, 2019

Yesterday, I visited three castles in one day! As Alyssa's parents and older brother are currently visiting her in Scotland, they rented a car and invited me to visit these castles with them. I am grateful to have spent the day with them and I had a wonderful time. These castles are basically in the middle of nowhere so taking a bus would not have been possible. The first aspect of driving in the UK that I noticed was that the cars are so tiny! We squeezed five people into a little Ford Fiesta. It takes some time to get used to driving on the left side of the road but we did not run into any issues. The UK has so many roundabouts. Every few minutes comes another roundabout. Additionally, the roads to get to these castles are one-way country roads that are quite curvy and hilly. Combining the squished atmosphere, the roundabouts, and the curved roads, I was feeling quite car sick. Regardless, I had an amazing day. Each castle was so unique, the weather was perfect and the company was great.


In about an hour and a half, we reached our first castle: Kildrummy. All the castles in Scotland are closed for the winter and will open on April 1st. No one was at this castle. We went through the gate even though we probably were not allowed to. It was really cool to walk through the ruins of this castle with no one around. Kildrummy castle was built most likely in the 13th century and was once the seat of the Earls of Mar. The castle was made of field stones. As with all castle ruins, this must have been an extremely stately-looking castle during its heyday. The castle sits high up on a hill so I can presume that the castle was also good for defensive strategies.

Kildrummy Castle

About 30 minutes away from Kildrummy, we arrived at Craigevar castle. I have seen pictures of this castle online before and have been wanting to go here since my arrival in Scotland. This is the ultimate fairy tale castle. Tucked away in the woods, this pink castle was once the seat of Clan Sempill and the for over 350 years, the Forbes family resided at Craigevar. It is rumored that this castle partly inspired Walt Disney's Cinderella castle. There are numerous walking trails around the castle. The scenery is peaceful and pure. Spring has just sprung: the birds are chirping and daffodils are everywhere. The mood at this castle was simply magical.

Craigevar Castle

Our last castle for the day was Fraser Castle. This castle lies within 300 acres of beautifully landscaped grounds and is known for being one of the greatest castles of Mar. This castle had an estate-like feel and had the prettiest landscape out of the three castles that I visited. There were gardens that we visited and even a little children's area that had these really cool elephant and giraffe statues as well as intricate wood carvings. There were daffodils everywhere along the grounds which really added to the overall view of the castle and the grounds. We were alone at this castle as well. It felt so nice having all these castles to ourselves.

Fraser Castle

Fast forward three days and I am now in Inverness. Inverness is an absolutely gorgeous small city in North Scotland. A river runs through the city and snow-capped mountains can be seen in the background. Just above the river sits Inverness Castle. The castle is made from red sandstone and was built in 1836 by William Burn. Today, the castle houses Inverness Sheriff Court. Unfortunately, this castle is not open to the public. As I could not go in the castle, I had extra time to explore Inverness. Every person that I interacted with in Inverness could not have been nicer to me. I stayed overnight in a Bed & Breakfast only 10 minutes away from the train station. I received a text message just as I stepped off the train that my room was ready. This was five hours earlier than my expected check-in time. I was thrilled and appreciative that I could go and drop my stuff off before heading to Aviemore, a small town in the Cairngorms National Park. After taking a short train ride from Inverness to Aviemore, I went to the tourist information center to ask what I could see in four hours. The two gentlemen asked if I had a car, as most of the pretty sights near Aviemore need to be reached with a car. I obviously did not have a car so they instructed me to a walking path just across the street. The path took me through the woods and way up to the top of a mountain with breathtaking views. The descent was surely easier and quicker than the ascent. Back in the town, I explored some of the nearby shops and then took the train back to Inverness. I picked up some pizza for dinner at Dominos and took it back to my B&B to eat. I fell asleep quite early.

Inverness Castle

The next morning, I awoke to a wonderful French Toast breakfast made by the B&B host. The weather was horrible: high winds that blew my umbrella inside out and rain pelting down on me. Thankfully the train station was only ten minutes away. On my way to the station, I stopped at Subway to pick up some lunch for the train ride. The ride to Dunrobin Castle was just over two hours. Since this is not a main stop, I had to let the conductor know that I needed to get off at the "Dunrobin Castle" stop. The train station was only five minutes walk away from the castle. I must say, this is my favorite castle that I have ever visited. Dunrobin Castle is home of the Earls and Dukes of Sutherland. The earliest part of the castle dates from 1275 and there were several extensions added on later. The inside of the castle is extremely elaborate. The decorations are insanely beautiful and ornate. Some of the 189 rooms include: Breakfast Room, Library, Nursery, Night Nursery, Nanny's Room, Music Room, Study, Military Room, Seamstress Room (Haunted Room), and the Green & Gold Room. Not only is the interior of this castle stunning, but this castle also boasts incredible views of the North Sea and the lush gardens. The gardens on the grounds are arranged artistically and thoughtfully. I can imagine how beautiful the gardens must look in full bloom. If the castle, the incredible views, and gardens did not give you enough luxury and excitement for one day, there is even a Falconry show in the gardens twice a day and a museum on the edge of the grounds that you can visit.

Dunrobin Castle

Main Staircase

Dining Room

Castle Gardens and View of the North Sea

Sadly, Castle Week has come to end. I still have a few more castles that I would like to get to in Scotland. I have planned to visit them in May. Now I will look forward to my 16 day Spring Break Trip, beginning with London and Ireland with my parents and then Istanbul, Athens, Santorini, and Malta with my two friends Alyssa and Michaela.

61 views0 comments

Recent Posts

See All

コメント


  • Black Instagram Icon

© 2018 by Destination Donatelli. Proudly created with Wix.com

bottom of page