📌 Lumphanan, Aberdeenshire
★★★★
A more fairytale castle you never did see (unless you’ve been to Disneyland). This eye-catchingly pink (and eye-wateringly expensive, we think) property dates to the 17th century and was home to the Forbes family for 350 years before being handed to the National Trust for Scotland in the 1960s. The photogenic exterior draws tourists and social media influencers by the car-load, so we recommend avoiding weekends or visiting earlier in the day if you prefer a little peace and quiet. Inside the castle, you’ll discover a home which manages to be both grand yet rustic, and surprisingly spacious for the castle’s seemingly small size. Photos of the interior weren’t permitted at the time of writing in 2021. The tower house is undoubtedly the main draw, but there are also woodland trails and a kitchen garden gardens – though the latter looked rather unloved on our last visit.
🌍 Location
📌 Off the A980 4 mi north of Lumphanan
🧭 O.S. Grid Reference: NJ 567095
🛰️ GPS coordinates: 57.174179,-2.718091
❌ No public transport within 1 mi
🚗 Car park (charge)
📝 Key info
⌚ Castle open daily by guided tour only, 31 May to August 2024; Friday to Monday in September; weekends in October. Grounds: daily
🎫 £16 adult / £12.50 child / free for National Trust for Scotland members
