Fyvie Castle

Filled with original features and furnishings, Fyvie Castle is a beautifully preserved Scottish Baronial castle built during the times of clans, claymores, and wars against the English. Decorated in paintings and tapestries collected by the generations of nobility who have lived here over the centuries, it’s as much a museum and a gallery as a fortification.

Explore the 18th-century walled garden and the estate's rolling landscape surrounding Fyvie, and enjoy the fresh Scottish air out in the heart of Aberdeenshire’s wild countryside. Find plenty of curious additions to the castle built over the years, including an ice house, racquet court, and bowling alley. Fyvie also has a dark side. Said to be haunted by several former residents, including the former wife of resident Laird, Fyvie Castle also houses the death mask of a local murderer, on display in the library.

• The castle tea room and shop are open during the spring and summer, and the grounds and gardens are open year-round.
• Members of the National Trust for Scotland get free entry.
• Suitable shoes are advised, especially to climb the wheel staircase in the castle's oldest part.
• It’s possible to stay in the Preston Tower of Fyvie Castle—book in advance to avoid disappointment.
• Aberdeenshire can be chilly and wet in the colder months—don’t forget a waterproof or an umbrella.

If traveling by car from Aberdeen, take the A947 northwest through Oldmeldrum and Newmacher and head towards Fyvie. The castle will be a little further along, on the banks of the River Ythan. It is also possible to catch the number 35 bus from the center of Aberdeen to Fyvie and walk to the castle, which takes around an hour and a half each way. You may prefer to pre-arrange a private tour of the area instead.

Fyvie Castle and its grounds and gardens are open to visitors year-round; however, the quieter months avoid the Scottish school summer holidays from June to August. September and October are the best times to visit for autumn colors and the changing of the leaves, and in January, February, and March, you’re likely to be treated to snow.

Every historic castle in Scotland is said to be haunted by one or two ghosts, and several former residents haunt Fyvie Castle. The Green Lady is Lilias Drummond, who starved to death in her chambers and carved her name into her husband’s windowsill on the night he remarried. Other ghosts include John Pollock, who haunts the library where his death mask resides, and Annie, a little girl who plays on the stairs.