2 - 3 March: Crathes Castle and Tyrebagger

My mum is now a pensioner, which makes it possible for her to visit us outside of holidays too. Like most pensioners she still has a very busy schedule, but she took the time to visit us 1 - 7 March. We enjoyed her week long visit very much.

During the weekdays I showed mum around Westhill and Aberdeen while the boys were at school. On the weekend we went to Crathes Castle on Saturday and on Sunday we went for a nice walk through Tyrebagger Wood and up to Elrick Hill. (Crathes is pronounced "Krathes", listen at http://www.pronouncehow.com/english/crathes_pronunciation).

Crathes castle

King Robert the Bruce granted the lands of Leys to the Burnett family in 1323. Crathes Castle was built by the Burnetts of Leys in the second half of the 16th century and was completed in 1596. It was held in that family for almost 400 years, but has been owned and managed by the National Trust for Scotland since 1951. Unlike most other castles, Crathes Castle and its grounds are open to the public throughout the year.  We enjoyed a very interesting guided tour with only a small group, as we were still outside of season.

Of all the interesting things our guide could tell us, I was most fascinated by what she told us about how cleverly the original castle was built. The main purpose of the castle was protection, as there was a lot of fighting going on at that time. The original entrance to the castle was, as we could see for ourselves, a rather small and low door with an iron gate. In order to get inside you had to stoop slightly, making it harder for the enemy to barge in. If the enemy managed to get inside, the entrance hall was very small, which meant that very few men could come in at one time.

The hall quickly came to a bend on your right hand side, so the intruders wouldn't know what to expect around the bend. To the left there was a steep and narrow staircase, which also meant that you wouldn't know what to expect in that direction either. Should the enemy decide to charge up the stairs, they would risk tripping, as the 13th step is slightly higher than the other steps and only the castle's inhabitants knew about this. Once inside, the most important rooms were placed so that its inhabitants could easily hear any attackers barging in and could then escape through the back stairs. Quite clever, I would say.

As the need for protection diminished, larger windows replaced the original narrow slits. An additional wing was added in 18th century, adding to the comfort of its inhabitants, as the old castle was quite cold.

Some of the rooms still retain their original painted ceilings and collections of family portraits and furniture. The ancient Horn of Leys hangs above the fireplace in the great Hall. It was a gift from King Robert the Bruce, given to the Burnett family in 1323, when they were also granted the land of Leys . The horn was an important symbol for the family and is therefore part of the family coat of arms.


After our visit to the castle, we took a look inside the 1.5 hectares walled garden. It was still to early to see it at its peak, but there were already quite a few beautiful flowers in bloom. The great topiary yew hedges date from as early as 1702. And once again we saw how eagerly moss grows on "everything" here in Scotland, even on the hedges!

Tyrebagger Wood and Elrick Hill

Tyrebagger Wood is less than 15 minutes by car from our house and a great place to go for a walk. The wood has two circular walks, and links to longer walks on Elrick and Brimmond Hills.

In the wood there are a number of sculptures, and information boards in the car parks show you where the sculptures are. The sculptures were designed by sculptors who have been inspired by the environment of the wood and the hill. There are some quite fascinating sculptures, including something that looks like a tree that has been cut down, except when you get closer you realise it's made from concrete.


After looking at the sculptures we walked on for a bit and ended up at the local golf course, before turning back and crossing over to Elrick Hill. At the top there are tables where you can eat your packed lunch. Our boys enjoyed playing in the woods with its large, twisted trees.