Crathes Castle

Well, we finally got out of town again, so we have something to write about. Most of our days are the same routine, so writing about them is boring for both you and us. But after a week of rain, this last Sat we decided to venture out to Crathes Castle, about 45 min by bus. The Castle is a 16th century tower house. The side part was added in 1970s to replace an 18th century three story addition that burned in 1966.

The land was rewarded to the Burnett family in 1323 by Robert the Bruce because of their service in the wars for independence. The castle contained several original pieces of furniture, including a bed dated 1594. Because it is the winter season, we had a guided tour, which gave some good details about the castle. It was too rushed, though, since we are only able to spend about 5 minutes in each room. Plus, we couldn't take any pictures inside. They said it was security reasons, but I think they just wanted more people to buy the guidebooks.

The gardens were not in bloom, but they were still neat. Some of the yew hedges were planted in 1702. The first picture overlooks part of the gardens from the top window of the castle. The second picture shows how tall some of the hedges are.