Craigievar Castle, Alford, United Kingdom

Craigievar Castle was the seat of Clan Sempill and the Forbes family resided here for 350 years until 1963, when the property was given to the National Trust for Scotland. The setting is among scenic rolling foothills of the Grampian Mountains. The contrast of its massive lower storey structure to the finely sculpted multiple turrets, gargoyles and high corbelling work create a classic fairytale appearance.

An excellent example of the original Scottish Baronial architecture, the great seven-storey castle was completed in 1626 by the Aberdonian merchant William Forbes. Forbes purchased the partially completed structure from the impoverished Mortimer family in the year 1610.

Designed in the L plan, Craigievar is noted for its exceptionally crafted plasterwork ceilings. The castle originally had more defensive elements including a walled courtyard with four round towers; only one of the round towers remains today. In the arched door to that round tower are preserved the carved initials of Sir Thomas Forbes, William Forbes' son. There is also a massive iron portcullis or gate covering the entrance door which is named a yett.

The estate is open to the public from Easter until the end of September. The castle is strictly guided tours only.

References:

Wikipedia

User Reviews

Neil Low (10 months ago)
Excellent guide, well knowledgeable. Lots of history ,kiosk for tea coffee and a biscuit. Shop sells there very own pink tartan .

Melanie Mengüs (11 months ago)
We visited in the evening during our road trip. The inside of the castle was closed to the public but you can park and have a walk around to admire it from the outside. At the moment (May 2024) there are barriers around the castle. But you can clearly see it anyway. We had a nice walk and were pleased to see it as it was in our bucket list for a long time. Just wished toilets were open!

Ewan Walker (12 months ago)
The design inspiration for Disney's Castle. It's pink! Unfortunately on the day we visited it was still getting the finishing works to a repaint. ☹️ Just gives an excuse to return. ?? We had a lovely walk around the grounds. There is a set walk (we think from the car park) but we struggled to find it so National Trust for Scotland, hopefully you are improving signage and there is an information board being worked on and to put up before the Castle reopens? It is a beautiful castle so we highly recommend you get on the NTS website and book for reopening. ??

Melanie Moore (Mel) (12 months ago)
Beautiful castle It was closed by the time we got there, so We only jumped out of our van to take some pictures. No matter what the weather you're sure for a good photo. Such a beautiful castle.

rochita plonka (12 months ago)
We stayed at the Steadings, which is one of the cottages on the castle grounds. The cottages are well kept and very comfortable. Our family of 4 (and our dog) stayed over Easter Break and enjoyed the marked walking trails around the castle. The castle is not open yet (but will be from May 2024, we were told) It is off the beaten path, but a beautiful location all the same. There are castles dotted all along the countryside here, so it is a great place to access a variety of castles in the area.

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Photo from Flickr, copyright Klearchos Kapoutsis

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The history of the castle is the subject of different legends.

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