Welcome to the Ballindalloch Castle website. I hope you will find here all you wish to know about the Castle and Gardens, our family home since the Sixteenth Century. From immersing yourself in the history of the Castle, its architecture and interiors, to enjoying the photos of the Gardens, I hope that you will be tempted to make the trip to Speyside to visit us.

Aberdeenshire

Ballindalloch Castle

This magnificent fortress in the heart of Aberdeenshire is a sterling example of Scottish Baronial architecture. Inside, the rooms are filled with antiquities, armour and lavish oil paintings. Out in the grounds the grandeur continues, with a picturesque lake and an unusual glass-roofed racquets court. Ghosts, legends and folklore are all woven into the tapestry of Fyvie’s 800-year-old history. 

Fyvie Castle

Standing against a backdrop of rolling hills and set within its own glorious gardens, Crathes Castle is every inch the classic Scottish tower house – and a fantastic day out for all the family. Inside you’ll find a labyrinth of cultural history, from family portraits to fine antique furniture and wonderful walled gardens.


Crathes Castle

With a core that possibly dates back to the 1450s, Castle Fraser is a fabulous place to soak up the atmosphere of old Scotland. Later additions made the building into a huge fortified structure, one of the largest tower houses in the country. Home of the Fraser family for more than 400 years, the castle is filled with family portraits, ornaments and mementos .

Castle Frazer

The Royal Forest and Tower of Drum were given to the Irvine family by Robert the Bruce in 1323. Later a Jacobean mansion house was added, and in the Victorian era the lower hall was converted to a library, now containing a mighty 4,000 books.
The beautiful Garden of Historic Roses is divided into quadrants that show how roses have been cultivated from the 17th to the 20th century.

Drum Castle

Brilliant design in the form of vibrant colours and meticulously manicured shapes give Pitmedden Garden its unique charm. With almost 6 miles of clipped box hedging, sculptures and built heritage, the parterres at the heart of the garden are a masterpiece of intricate patterns and fragrant flowers.

Pitmedden Garden

Stately and striking, Haddo House casts a huge impression from the moment you set eyes on it. Designed in 1732 by William Adam, the house underwent an opulent remodelling in the 1880s. As a result, it has the clean elegance and swooping lines of the Georgian style with a luxurious Victorian interior. Family portraits trace generations of Gordons, who played a huge part in Scottish history.

Haddo House

Nestled on a picturesque hillside, the elegant pink tower of Craigievar Castle is spellbindingly beautiful, sure to enchant children and adults alike.
Begun in the Scottish Baronial style around 1576, this iconic tower house is among the best preserved and the most loved in Scotland; its exterior remains virtually unchanged since William Forbes completed it c1626.

Craigievar Castle

Discover a different side to Aberdeen on this street art walking tour. On this 1.5 hour you’ll meander down alleys and under bridges to uncover some of the city’s most beautiful pieces of art that are taking over the walls by storm. All with a local, expert guide. From unassuming corners to major buildings, there’s art around every turn and your guide knows just where to find the best of the best.

Street Art Tour- Walking tours in Aberdeen

Your journey begins as you set sail with NorthLink Ferries. On board the ferry to Shetland and Orkney you’ll be able to enjoy many comforts before arriving at your destination feeling refreshed and ready to begin your island adventure. With regular sailings for passengers and cars from Scrabster and Aberdeen, travelling to the Orkney and Shetland Islands from the Scottish Mainland is more convenient than ever before.

NorthLink Ferries

His Majesty’s Theatre is a category A listed proscenium arch theatre designed by celebrated architect Frank Matcham and opened in December 1906. It is a fully equipped producing and receiving theatre with a capacity of 1400 which since its opening has welcomed international touring companies, nationally renowned artists and Scottish and homegrown talent.

His Majesty's Theatre & Music Hall

Aberdeen Science Centre is one of Aberdeen’s top visitor attractions and offers the perfect day out for the whole family. With more than 60 new interactive exhibits, our friendly robot RoboThespian and the incredible OPITO Theatre of Energy, every visit to Aberdeen Science Centre is different as you have fun exploring how the sciences shape our world and everything in it….and beyond!

Aberdeen Science Center

The aquarium’s exhibits lead you from the coast, where you can explore the estuaries and the rocky shores, and then to the underwater world of the kelp reef. See the unique kelp reef exhibit - the only one of its kind in the UK. At the sea lab, see hardy seashore critters up close and observe baby sharks in the shark hatchery, before heading out to the deep reef and the seafloor.

Macduff Marine Aquarium

Welcome to the City of Aberdeen Distillery & Gin School - the first distillery in Aberdeen for nearly 80 years and home to the Aberdeen Gin School.
Owned and run by two friends, the distillery is situated in the heart of the Scottish City of Aberdeen (the Silver City with the Golden Sands), within a historic railway arch where true small batch Aberdeen Gins are designed and distilled.
The distillery is open to visitors who are invited to sample from the demi-johns (fill a bottle), enjoy a Distillery Tour, Gin Tasting Masterclass or even distil your very own 70cl bottle of gin at the Gin School Experience.

City of Aberdeen Distillery

Located in the rural village of Alford, just 25 miles from Aberdeen, our award-winning Grampian Transport Museum boasts an impressive range of transport exhibits, from travelling chariots of the 1800’s to some of the fastest cars ever made.

Grampian Transport Museum

Forming the ranks were farmers and fishermen, ghillies and labourers, aristocrats and university students. Ordinary men with an extraordinary sense of duty; all with a story to tell. These stories are brought to life at The Gordon Highlanders Museum by exploring our Nationally Significant Collection. 

Gordon Highlanders Museum

The museum aims to preserve and share the rural heritage of the North East of Scotland and of the Alford and Donside area in particular. It is housed in the old market building (The Mart), whose sale ring is still intact, and it has an extensive collection of exhibits relating to farming and rural life. Other exciting features of the Museum include the Old Schoolroom, Farmhouse Kitchen, Souter’s Workshop, Tailor’s Shop and Old-style Grocer’s Shop.

Alford Heritage Museum

Stone circles can be found throughout Britain and Ireland, in various forms, and were erected between c.2700 – 2000 BC (the Bronze Age). Around 10% of the total number of stone circles recorded in Britain can be found in Aberdeenshire, and the region even boasts its own unique style of circle - the Recumbent Stone Circle.

The Stone Circle Trail

As one of the heartlands of the Pictish community, Aberdeenshire is home to a large number of the elaborately decorated Symbol Stones for which the Picts are famed – around 20% of all Pictish stones recorded in Scotland can be found in Aberdeenshire. 

The Pictish Stone Trail

Churches help tell a region’s story and act as a permanent record of an area’s social history. They also often serve as a link between pre-Christian prehistoric communities and the early spread of Christianity, with several churches built on or beside stone circles, standing stones or pictish symbol stones.

The Historic Churches Trail

Aberdeen is a port city in north-east Scotland, where the Dee and Don rivers meet the North Sea. With an offshore petroleum industry, the city is home to an international population. It's also known as the ‘Granite City’ for its many enduring grey-stone buildings.