Drum Castle lies 11 miles to the west of Aberdeen along Royal Deeside. The original castle was granted to William de Irwyn by King Robert the Bruce in 1323. The castle remained within the Irvine family until 1975, when it was handed over to the National Trust of Scotland. Irvine memorabilia can be seen in the Family Room and the house contains a collection of portraits and Georgian furniture.
The castle is surrounded by hills and woodland with nature trails and guided walks.
Doric is the Scots dialect spoken in the North-East of Scotland and, as of 2018, has gained the status of the third official language of Scotland, along with English and Scots Gaelic. While you will easily get by with standard English, knowing of a few phrases of the language will be useful if you need to converse, e.g. with the mannie an wifies, an loons an quines a Fittee, i.e. the men and women, and boys and girls of Footdee (an area down by Aberdeen Harbour).
A common characteristic of Doric is changing the sound of “wh” to “f”. So “what” becomes “fit”, “when” becomes “fan” and “who” becomes “fa”.
You can download a copy of the Doric Dictionary which contains a list of some of useful words in Doric with the English translations
Although Doric is no longer as prevalent as it was, it is still a live spoken language. A transcript of a conversation can be found here.
The following article is an excellent guide to the the sights and tourist experiences of Aberdeen, and is useful for first time visitors (and returners). The Scotland Traveloholic website, which has many great articles, can be found here.
“Scotland is undoubtedly a country full of beautiful cities, interesting architecture, stunning nature and fantastic people. Each of Scotland’s cities has something beautiful, and I believe that it’s worth writing about them and getting the wider public familiar with these wonderful places. After my recent visit to Aberdeen, I decided to finally make a comprehensive guide to Aberdeen to inspire others to discover it’s unique beauty and charm.”
Please read more of this useful and informative guide to visiting Aberdeen by clicking on this link
Founder of Scotland Traveloholic, travel photographer and videographer. A head full of dreams and ideas ? Part of spreadit.studio – Travel Content Marketing & Digital Strategy Agency In Scotland.
13th April 2019
Stonehaven is a picturesque harbour town, 15 miles south of Aberdeen. It has an extensive beach and an open-air swimming pool. It is surrounded by woodland with nature trails and guided walks. Dunnottar Castle is just outside the town.
12th April 2019
Lochnagar or Beinn Chìochan is a mountain in the Grampians of Scotland, located about five miles south of the River Dee near Balmoral.
“Away, ye gay landscapes, ye gardens of roses!
George Gordon, Lord Byron, 1807
In you let the minions of luxury rove;
Restore me the rocks, where the snow-flake reposes,
Though still they are sacred to freedom and love:
Yet, Caledonia, belov’d are thy mountains,
Round their white summits though elements war;
Though cataracts foam ‘stead of smooth-flowing fountains,
I sigh for the valley of dark Loch na Garr.”
Crathes Castle is a 16th-century castle near Banchory in the Aberdeenshire region of Scotland. The castle was built by the Burnetts of Leys and was held in that family for almost 400 years. The castle and grounds are now owned and managed by the National Trust for Scotland and are open to the public.
Wikipedia Page: Crathes Castle
