Didn't get inside since it was closed…read more But looked like some books and in such a small town. If you're looking for a library check it out and share your thoughts.

We visited Crathes Castle in May, visiting from the United States to trace our Burnett family…read morehistory. We visited the castle several times over three days, including meeting Laird Jamie Burnett, our family Chief. The castle and gardens are immaculate, and many exhibits throughout. I was so delighted to see the Horn of Leys, dating to the 1300s. A cafe and gift shop are also on site, along with wilderness trails for exploring. This was a bucket list item for our family, and we were happy to see so many other families visiting as well.

Very few NTS places are open in November, so finding Crathes still open was an unexpected treat…read more Even more unexpected was the guided tour - in the summer months you are free to wander round the house yourself, but out of season they take you round in small groups. Our guide, Drew, turned out to be a hugely entertaining character. I'm sure he must be a star in the local AmDram society. His patter, his delivery, his charm and his jokes had us all feeling right at home from the start. I can honestly say that I haven't enjoyed a guided tour as much as this in years. The house (calling it a 'castle' is a bit of an exaggeration) and part of the Leys estate was donated to the National Trust in 1951. It had been lived in by the Burnett family for 350 years prior to that, and the 13th Baronet left almost all the furniture and fittings as well, which gives the place a very homely feel - it's not a museum piece where the Trust have had to stock it with period furniture; there is a great spread of history from the medieval to post-war. The painted ceilings in several of the rooms are quite spectacular, one depicting nine heroes of medieval life, others virtues to be aspired or grisly warnings about straying form the path of righteousness, all with exquisite pictures and Gothic scripting along the beams. And of course there are ghosts. Nine of them to be precise, although our guide only told us about two. One of these, the Green Lady, is commonly seen by visitors and is thought to have been a servant girl who fell pregnant and disappeared shortly after she gave birth, along with her unfortunate child. Recent renovations discovered the bones of a small child beneath the hearth in the 'Green Lady's Room'. Another ghost that was spotted in two different locations this year is that of a small boy - our guide was keen to suggest links with the unfortunate servant girl, so maybe he will become the Green Lady's son with another couple of seasons' retelling. It wasn't the best time of year for the gardens, but the walled garden has some impressive topiary and was well worth a stroll in the November sunshine. We finished with lunch in the stable block (soup and a sandwich) and, avoiding the temptation to visit the Go Ape! centre, had a quick look round the gift shop (not that impressive) before heading off.

Footdee is such a fun place to walk around whether you are visiting Aberdeen or are a local…read more It's a residential area, but the old fishing cottages that are still lived in have such character, and it feels like you've stepped back in time. The area feels altogether apart from Aberdeen City, but it's just at the end of the beach and easy to get to! I would definitely recommend a wander on a nice day. Makes a fun place for showing friends/family that might be visiting, too, as you can show them a piece of living Aberdeen history!

Tolquhon castle was the first castle I visited in Scotland. It's not the biggest, nor is it the…read moremost breath taking, but I really enjoyed it. The castle care taker that rotated through there was very nice and gave us a small tour which added an interesting note. (Don't expect a tour though. We just caught her on a good time while she was cleaning). What makes this castle different from most other castles is that it was designed more for elegance rather than strength. As the parking lot plaque states "Visited by King James VI in 1589, this castle was once the height of fashion. Designed to impress through elegance rather than strength, the walls are richly decorated and thin - no good in a seige." The road to get to this one is narrow and on many occasions you may have to pull to the side and let cars pass through. The cost of entry is less than 5 GBP for one adult. Fun facts: If a construction worker died during the job, they would just bury him within the building and moved on.

We visited Craigievar Castle as part of a round trip from Stonehaven to Huntly Castle, the Castle…read moreis very nice, the Tour was interesting and the Guide give some good insight about the history and the different rooms

I love the style of this wee castle. I'd love to build a tower like it to live in.read more

We only had a couple of days in Aberdeen and we really wanted to take a look at some of the…read morehistorical houses. Given our short time frame, we settled on Provost Skene's House. In my home country, the United States, we generally consider anything older than 50 years old to be old. Provost Skene's House dates from the 1500s and the various rooms are done up to show how people lived from the 16th to the 19th centuries. The house has seen several alterations since its construction. Provost George Skene bought the house in the 1600s and is thought to have commissioned the carved plaster ceilings. In the 18th century, the Duke of Cumberland commandeered the house for his troops on their march north to Culloden. After this, it was known as 'Cumberland House', a name which survived into the 20th century, when the building became a public lodging house. In the 1930s when a lot of houses in the area were demolished, an effort was made to preserve and restore the house. I think that of all the rooms in the Provost Skene House, my favorite was the costume gallery. Here you can see the various styles of dress worn by the occupants of the house throughout the centuries. Oh yes! I also loved The Cellar Café, which featured a whole lot of baked goods and Costa Coffee, a brand I really grew to like.

A beautiful castle and grounds. Inside the historic home of the Fraser clan, the wonderful staff…read moreand team will enthusiastically show you the rooms, fury and memorabilia on display with dozens of stories and ancedotes to go along with them. Just a beautiful place and together with the NTS preservation effort, makes for a very special visit. We will be back! Je Suis Pret!

I spotted the War Memorial on the hillside overlooking the water when exploring Dunnottar Castle…read more Once spotted, I decided to make time so that when I was done exploring the castle I would try and make it out and back before closing for the day, 6 p.m. After done exploring the castle and the corresponding beach beneath it, I was on the trail at 5:30 p.m. and unsure of the distance to the memorial, so I walked with occasional running spurts to the site. I marveled at the joy of running in the greenery. However, I also realized I was out of shape on this heritage travel trip I was taking through Scotland (in July 2019). It had been a while since I ran a sub-5 minute mile (2012), but my zest for speed was reawakened (my personal best now, at 30 years of age in May 2023, is 4 minutes and 41.27 seconds). While making my way to the memorial I saw various insects and birds, though none of the famous Scotland red squirrels. Pondering this, I also started thinking about if it was time for me to find a new spirit animal, perhaps a Russian hamster... they run 10 kilometers (approximately 6.2 miles) during the night. While my mind, and occasionally my body, raced towards the memorial, I did not lose sight of it and the trail led directly to the memorial site. The memorial honors local people who died in various wars in the 20th century (1900s). The entrance was straightforward to find from the trail, admission was free, and the memorial itself was open to the environment. I liked the design, which helped me spot it from afar. Scurrying back to my car I arrived about a minute or two before closing.

The Stonehaven War Memorial is extremely atmospheric all the year round. It dominates the views to…read morethe south of the town as I think is only fitting for something commemorating those who gave their lives in the service of their country. When I was in my teens and lived in Stonehaven they used to hold the town's Remembrance Service up at the memorial every November which made the impact of the service even greater as it really brought it home to you that those who had died had been a part of the town and the landscape in all its beauty. It's free to enter the Memorial. There's a steep walk which is more than rewarded by the view, but this means that it may not be a suitable destination for those of limited mobility.