📌 Pitmedden, Aberdeenshire
★★★
Tolquhon Castle is only half an hour’s drive nortwest from Aberdeen, but often gets neglected in favour of the better known castles directly west of the city. This is still a substantial ruin with plenty of character, enhanced by the fact that you’re likely to get it all to yourself. The castle was initially built as a tower house in the early 1400s, probably by the Preston family. But Tolquhon is really a story of the Forbes family: the tower soon passed into the family through marriage and William Forbes, 7th Lord of Tolquhon, carried out major extensions to transform tower house into luxurious residence. Look out for his plaque above the gatehouse.
🌍 Location
📌 Off the B999 2 mi north of Pitmedden
🧭 O.S. Grid Reference: NJ 873286
🛰️ GPS coordinates: 57.348104,-2.213194
❌ No public transport within 1 mi – nearest bus stop is at Thornyford, just east of A920 / B999 junction (1.5 mi)
🚗 Car park
📝 Key info
⌚ Thursday to Monday, 29 March to September 2024
🎫 £7.50 adult / £4.50 child / free for Historic Environment Scotland members
