Craigston Castle
9 Turriff, Aberdeenshire, Scotland
Exclusive Use
You can have the venue to yourself, sleeps 12 guests in 6 rooms
400-year-old self-catering private castle in North East Scotland
Built by, and home to, the Urquharts since 1607, Craigston Castle is located on the north-east coast of Scotland – considered by National Geographic to be one of the most beautiful coast-lines in the world.
Set amongst private park and woodland, with exclusive use, you will have the castle to yourselves, however, Elisabetta who lives in a self-contained flat in the south wing, will be on hand should you need anything.
Come and experience the friendly, relaxed atmosphere and make yourself at home in these historical surroundings.
Photography Copyright 2023, hastoncreative.com
Inside
Bedrooms
The castle sleeps twelve and each of the six bedrooms has its own bathroom. A cot(crib) is available upon request.
The Blue Room
The Blue Room has traditionally been one of the best rooms in the house. With its large and imposing four-poster bed and en-suite bathroom, it is always popular with family and guests.
The Old Nursery
The Old Nursery is a charming room where many generations of the family spent their early years. It was also once said to be haunted and, even though the ghost was undoubtedly benevolent, the bishop of Aberdeen was invited to carry out an exorcism in the early 1900s. This room has a dedicated bathroom just a few paces down the hall.
The White Room
This room has long been a firm favourite. The furniture is almost exclusively made by Heppelthwaite. It has its own dedicated, recently modernised bathroom just a few steps away.
The Fraser Room
This lovely little room is named after old family friends (the Frasers of Castle Fraser) who used to be regular guests and always stayed in this room. The room has two double beds, one though is a very small antique double, which is probably only suitable for a single person. This room has a dedicated bathroom just a few steps away.
The Holly Room
This twin or double room with en-suite bathroom is named after the Laird’s mother, who was in turn named after the “Holly Walk”, a path behind the castle that is surrounded by beautiful holly trees. The room is located on the ground floor and used to be the children’s playroom.
The Kings Room
The Kings room is so called because it is believed that various kings (though there is no record of which ones) stayed here in the past. The room next door is called the Barrack Room where it is believed the king’s guards slept. This room has one wall covered in a very beautiful original Chinese wall paper.
Public Rooms
The Drawing Room was refurbished in the 1800s when important pieces such as the looking-glasses were acquired in France. The magnificent carved-oak panels that line the windows and doors depict biblical themes, Scottish kings and great heroes.
Despite its grandeur, this room is also cosy and, in the evening, you can sit by the fire and enjoy a good whisky from one of the many local distilleries.
The Ante-Drawing Room has beautiful red wallpaper, family portraits and a “Laird’s lug”.
The Morning Room, originally used for breakfast, is available as a dining room for guests together with the Colonial room. Adjacent to the Morning room there is the Bluter room with a “dumb waiter” that is still used to bring food up from the kitchen below.
The Queen's Room, where Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother stayed in the early 1950s, has recently been converted into a sitting room/TV room for guests.
The castle has a fully-equipped traditional kitchen, with modern appliances for self-catering. Meals can be eaten in the kitchen, in the Morning Room and in the Colonial Room.
Complimentary wifi is provided.
Grounds
Craigston is set in 250 acres of mature mixed wood and parkland in the middle of the working Craigston Home Farm. Different walks can be taken through the woods, from a light 20-minute stroll to a more strenuous trek. There are plenty of wild animals to be seen, including deer, foxes, hares, woodcock, owls, buzzards, sparrow hawks and just few steps from home in the back garden, squirrels, badgers, woodpeckers, and pine martins.
History
The Urquhart family is one of the oldest in Scotland and can be traced back to Adam Urquhart, the Sheriff of Cromarty in 1357.
Activities
This part of Aberdeenshire is famous for its rolling hills, open farmland and coastal beaches and cliffs, with many attractions and hidden gems across the region. A list of trusted partner will also be provided to organize activities indoor and in the castle grounds.
Prices
Craigston Castle is available between May and October each year for self-catered (vacation-rental) accommodation for up to 12 guests from £2500 per 3 nights weekend or from £3500 per week.
Location
Aberdeen itself is less than an hour away. The airport is connected to most airports in the UK, with London easily accessible by many different airlines. Craigston is 2 hours from Inverness and approximately 3.5 hours from Edinburgh and Glasgow.
Reviews
9
As soon as the family entered the castle it immediately felt its warmth and history. Enjoying beverages every night in the grand parlor before dinner was a great way to bring the family together each evening. Also, sharing the Queens study each day and the history associated with it was just amazing. Your recommendation of Nelson the chef was well received by all. His meals, especially dinner, was like dining at a five star restaurant in Rome. The various dining options within the castle added that extra touch to Nelson's meals. The family especially enjoyed the grand ballroom for its annual costume party. It would be a mistake on my part not to mention the kindness you extended to the family during our time at the historical castle. Your expertise in assisting in arranging for in castle entertainment which included a wonderful night of Scottish bagpipes for my son's birthday was deeply appreciated. He will never forget marching off to dinner. Also the night we all danced to folk music with a few malts was enjoyed by all. Again, thanks!
We had an incredible time! As a family of 9 Urquhart’s, the history of the castle was important for us. It meant the world to us to be able to experience it as a large group. The bathrooms were fully updated and functioning. The kitchen was fully stocked for large groups. We were able to cook several meals on our own, including the fresh haddock we caught in Macduff! The walled garden was a little piece of heaven to walk around in. We were able to enjoy fresh herbs/vegetable, offered by the wonderful house manager, Elisabetta. The kids would walk down to feed and be with the horses who lived next to the garden. We were able to plan clay pigeon shooting, which occurred on property. Was an absolute blast! Elisabetta was such a pleasure to work with and made our stay very easy. Looking forward to staying again in the future.
It’s always been a dream of mine to sleep in a true castle. For a milestone birthday, I decided it was time. My fiancé and I and 3 other couples embarked on a weeklong journey to Scotland to make this dream come true. We stayed an entire week at Craigston Castle and couldn’t have asked for a better experience. Elisabetta (the property manager) is true a delight. She greeted us with open arms and after some basic instructions said “Just please treat this castle as your home” – wow! The castle is stunning, the rooms well-appointed with family belongings and heirlooms. Everything from the drawing room with family portraits, to the spiral staircases that take you up to many beautiful bedrooms, to the 3 dining rooms in which you can chose to enjoy a meal…the place is truly magnificent. You feel like you’re in an episode of Downton Abbey. The grounds are equally wonderful with trails to walk, a beautiful old bridge running over the creek, horses, sheep and a walled garden that will provide the perfect place to enjoy a cup of coffee or tea in the morning. While we explored all that Scotland had to offer using the Castle as our home base, we chose to spend one entire day on property. We enjoyed clay shooting, a delicious dinner prepared by a local chef and then folklore storytelling in the drawing room by a local historian. It’s frankly hard to put this place into words. It’s private, it’s comfortable, it’s full of history and best yet, it will feel like home! I encourage anyone to consider Craigston for a wonderful getaway, wedding or special occasion.
This week, we celebrated our 40th anniversary with family and friends at Craigston Castle. It was perfect!!! Everything was just as we had hoped and imagined it would be as we planned this event. Words can not describe just how lovely and awe-inspiring it is to stay at Craigston Castle. There is so much history there to see and experience in person. Craigston is not a museum, but a place where you can feel at home and comfortable (although so much of the decor is certainly museum worthy). Elisabetta is an absolute delight, so gracious and welcoming, and so very knowledgeable of the history of the castle. The gardens at Craigston, while still a work in progress, are simply amazing with so many varieties of beautiful flowers that you will also find gracing many of the rooms in lovely arrangements. As Craigston is a self-catering accommodation, we had Alister, Daniel, and Claire of Alister David Reid Associates provide a wonderful Scottish Tea in the garden with Highland dancers to entertain us one afternoon, a magnificent catered dinner to celebrate our anniversary, and a lovely indoor picnic with an authentic Scottish storyteller on our last day. In between, we made memories with fun family breakfasts in the spacious country kitchen. We would also slip down for midnight snacks and a dram of fine scotch before bed, only to find others had the same idea, and the snack became a merry gathering. It is truly a once in a lifetime experience to stay in a lovely, historic Scottish castle. It was the perfect way to celebrate 40 years together with those we love in a positively magical setting.
Our multigenerational family of 10 stayed at the castle for 3 nights and wished it were more. While the photos of the castle and surrounding property online are stunning, it is magical in person. The home feels inviting and every room is lovely. The beds are very comfortable and baths for everyone. We were busy on our 16 days in Scotland so intended just to relax and enjoy the castle and grounds. It did not disappoint! We did not have a car in Scotland to go into town so hired a chef recommended by our host, Elisabetta. The chef and food were beyond our expectations. Elisabetta has great communication and we enjoyed the tour of the castle during our stay. We will reminisce about this stay for years to come.