Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

King of the castles

From left: David Wright, VisitScotland, George Wilson, Historic Scotland, and Philip Smith, VisitScotland,  show off the new guides at Corgarff Castle
From left: David Wright, VisitScotland, George Wilson, Historic Scotland, and Philip Smith, VisitScotland, show off the new guides at Corgarff Castle

Aberdeenshire is once again proving it is king of the castles with the revamped Scotland’s Castle Trail brochure, which also now highlights nearby attractions to visitors.

This region is known as Scotland’s Castle Country and with an impressive tally of 300 castles, stately mansions and ruins scattered across the landscape, there are more castles per acre than anywhere else in the UK. The brochure, which has been given a complete redesign, is a joint project between VisitScotland, Historic Scotland, National Trust for Scotland and Aberdeenshire Council.

It now features 18 castles in Aberdeenshire, from Balmoral to Braemar and Corgarff to Craigievar. Leith Hall has also been included this year for the first time. There are maps on both sides of the new brochure and large entries and details for each castle.

A “nearby attractions” section has been added to each entry, to encourage people to further explore the region while following the trail and increase the length of their stay and spend in Aberdeenshire.

Aberdeenshire’s castles provide a wealth of history to explore – from gruesome tales of battles fought, to strolls through romantic family estates. Coming in all shapes and sizes, each castle holds a different story to tell, from striking clifftop ruins to grand fortresses and royal residences in the countryside.

One of the properties on the trail, Drum Castle, is currently hosting a selection of Aberdeen Art Gallery’s modern art collection on the upper floor, which is being opened to the public for the first time. This significant collection includes iconic paintings and sculptures, including Ken Currie’s Gallowgate Lard.

Philip Smith, VisitScotland regional director, said: “The Castle Trail is incredibly popular with our visitors, both domestic and international, and I am delighted this inspirational brochure has been refreshed for the new season. It provides essential information for anyone visiting these fantastic properties right across Aberdeenshire.

“In 2015, Scotland’s Year of Food and Drink, it is also great to see some local ‘foodie’ attractions highlighted in the brochure, such as Royal Lochnagar Distillery, near Balmoral Castle; and Touched by Scotland Gallery and Restaurant, near Leith Hall.”

Brochures can be picked up at various locations including airports, VisitScotland Information Centres and National Trust for Scotland and Historic Scotland properties. Once you’ve decided which castle to visit, look out for the distinctive brown and white castle trail road signs which lead visitors through the heart of Aberdeenshire.

Scotland’s Castle Trail includes Dunnottar, Crathes, Drum, Castle Fraser, Tolquhon, Haddo House, Fyvie, Delgatie, Duff House, Huntly, Spynie Palace, Balvenie, Leith Hall Garden and Estate, Kildrummy, Corgarff, Braemar, Balmoral and Craigievar.

For further information on the castle trail, including a suggested
four-day itinerary and downloadable map, visit www.visitscotland.com/castletrail