Aberdeenshire: an ultimate autumn escape
In Partnership with Visit Aberdeenshire
Fyvie Castle
I always thought that I’m a summer person, but every time I head North of the country I can’t get enough of frosty mornings, evenings by the open fire and mulled wine. Aberdeenshire was the whole new world for me with castles stays, whisky tastings and all the food adventures we had. The very first stop after landing in Aberdeen was this gorgeous Fyvie Castle.
Fyvie Castle near Turif in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, is believed to have been built around the 13th Century by William the Lion. The castle served as a Royal stronghold until 1390, shortly after the Battle of Otterburn. It was then passed down to a succession of clan families. Preston, Meldrum, Seton, Gordon, and Leith respectively. Each of the families constructed a new tower onto the castle, the first of these being the Preston Tower, where you can stay by booking the tower through AirBnB. Dated between 1390-1433, the tower remains to this day. The Seton family added the Seton Towers in 1599, which you can see dominating the entrance to the castle. The great processional staircase was also added by Seton’s some time after. The Gordon Tower was added in 1777, and lastly the Leith Tower in 1890.
There are a number of famous portraits hung in the castle, as well as displays of authentic armour and weapons. The descendants of Alexander Leith, who owned the castle in the late 1800’s – the early 1900s, sold the castle to the National Trust for Scotland in 1984. The castle is now open to the public to admire its architecture, art collection, and family history. But the main news are - you can now stay in the castle simply by booking it on AirBnB. You will have to book the whole wing though, it accommodates 9 to 12 people.
As most old castles, Fyvie has it’s own resident ghosts. Grey Lady (Thought to be the ghost of Lady Meldrum who died sometime in the 13th Century), Green Lady (Thought to be Dane Lilias Drummond, the wife of Sir Alexander Seton who starved his wife to death for producing only daughters) and Phantom Trumpeter (Believed to be the ghost of Andrew Lammie, who died of a broken heart after finding out about the death of his beloved Agnes. Andrew is also said to appear dressed in rich tartan, near the castle wall. On several occasions the figure of a man has been seen, only to disappear when approached)
Glen Garioch
Our second stop was Glen Garioch distillery. It’s true what they say that you can never fully enjoy whisky until you have seen how and where it’s made. I’m not a big whisky drinker, but to learn history and taste the flavours of the times gone was amazing! One of the oldest operating distilleries in Scotland, Glen Garioch (pronounced Geery in the ancient Doric dialect still spoken in these parts) has been making its mighty malt in the historic market town of Oldmeldrum since 1797. Glen Garioch is only produced in small batches.
Port Cullen
Next day we’ve started from driving to the coastal town of Cullen. When approaching the destination, you will first see the glorious Banffshore Coast and then after an ancient bridge the panoramic views of Cullen. This is one of the most picturesque towns in Aberdeenshire and one of just a few places where you can see Northern Lights in The UK! We didn’t stay here for a night, so didn’t have a chance to see the lights, but we mainly drove here to try famous Cullen Skink. Each year the historic fishing village hosts its own Cullen Skink World Championships at the Cullen Bay Hotel attracting culinary masters from far and wide to create the best tasting bowl of Cullen Skink. This local delicacy consists of potatoes, cream, onion and smoked haddock, creating a rich and filling soup-like dish that has been enjoyed for decades on menus around the world. Originally, the soup was made with beef shavings, but when cattle became scarce in the early 1890s, locals substituted the beef with fresh fish that was caught in the local harbour. Since then, Cullen Skink has become known as a signature Scottish dish.
Meldrum House
If you travelling in Aberdeenshire make sure to stay or just have a dinner at Meldrum House. The hotel is a four-star country house hotel set in 240 acres of glorious Aberdeenshire countryside. An award-winning hotel, most notable as the winner of the prestigious title of Britain's Best Boutique Hotel 2018. After checking-in to our rooms we had a dinner at The Pineapple - a new casual dining experience. The menu illustrates the wealth of flavours of North-East Scotland through its locally sourced ingredients. After the dinner we made sure to have a drink in the award-winning Cave Bar which dates back 800 years, serving over 120 whiskies and local gins. The bar won Whisky Hotel Bar of the Year at the Whisky Magazine World Whisky Awards in March 2019.
Also I can’t not to mention breakfast! Did you know that the porridge is the best if to top it up with whisky?!
Aberdeenshire Highland Cattle Farm
After having our whisky infused breakfast we headed to visiting Grace on her working farm and met her majestic herd of Highland cattle. The farm of Scotland’s most native breed of cattle is now open for visitors, just book in advance. Grace will take you around the farm to share stories behind her team of pedigree Highland cattle and provide you with an insight to life on the farm, all before tasting the prized Aberdeen Angus Beef.
Afternoon Tea at The Carriage
After the most educating morning on the farm, we drove to visit The Carriage for the afternoon tea. Once the Royal Station of Ballater, the Deeside Railway was the final stopping point for the Royal Family when heading to Balmoral Castle. In 2015, the station was destroyed by fire and has since been transformed by Prince Charles' charity work in to a fascinating visitor experience. Ballater is located in the Cairngorms National Park, making it one of the region’s top visitor spot. The picturesque Victorian village is a popular destination in itself with cosy B&B’s, restaurants and great links to outdoor adventures. Ballater is known as ‘Royal Warrant’ town due to the amount of awards to local businesses by members of the Royal Family in recognition of delivering high standards.
Porters Gin Micro Distillery and dinner at Moonfish Cafe
For our last evening in Scotland we drove back to Aberdeen to experience what the city has to offer. We met with the founders of Porter's Gin - the UK's most innovative micro distillery, located in the basement of popular cocktail bar Orchid (winner of Scotland’s Best Cocktail Bar 2017) where we had a couple of pre-dinner drinks. I was intrigued by the absence of traditional copper stills and use of modern distilling processes to create its distinct botanical blend. Don’t miss this place if in town!
Moonfish cafe was just a short walk from Orchid, below the Union Street in Aberdeen’s historic Merchant Quarter. The menu was bursting with innovation and twists on British classics. We went for a tasting menu that is available every day of the week and is seasonal and creative. It was lovely to meet the head chef (and Masterchef finalist) Brian McLeish who injects passion into every dish.
@moonfishcafeaberdeen & @brian.mcleish
For our last night we’ve stayed at the elegant The Chester Hotel. We didn’t have a chance to try the Michelin Guide IX Restaurant that is on the ground floor of the hotel this time, but I’m definitely coming back to Aberdeenshire very soon!
