National Trust properties in the north of Scotland are fewer than in the rest of the country, but when National Trust Scotland asked if I’d like to explore a couple of NTS properties close to home, I gladly accepted the invitation and chose to head east to Brodie Castle!
As you leave the woodland trail from the car park, Brodie Castle emerges into view – and it’s a real treat for the eyes with turrets and towers galore!
The only way to explore the castle itself is to have a tour with an experienced National Trust Scotland guide. We were happy to wait until the next tour (only 15-20 minutes to wait) so we took ourselves off down the west driveway towards the 4 acre pond. There are other easy and short trails to do around the grounds, and there’s also a tearoom, shop and adventure playground for kids to be entertained in.
By the time I had faffed around with camera settings and taken a few shots, it was time to walk back and head in for our tour of Brodie Castle, which lasted 75 minutes.
The oldest parts of the castle are from the 16th century, and it has seen 27 generations (and counting) of the Brodie family come and go.
The castle is absolutely stuffed with art and book collections – some pieces dating back up to 500 years. The library alone was packed with 6500 volumes of various writing.
The Brodie clan of the 16th-19th century were certainly a fascinating bunch. We heard tales of bankruptcy, skirmishes and tragic deaths. We climbed spiral staircases and admired delicate ornaments, striking decor and collections of family heirlooms and portraits passed from generation to generation.
With thanks to National Trust Scotland for this image.
With thanks to National Trust Scotland for this image.
With thanks to National Trust Scotland for this image.
With thanks to National Trust Scotland for this image.
The only bad thing about the tour was that currently, there is a ‘No photography allowed’ policy at all in the house (I say that purely from a selfish blogger’s perspective of wanting to show you a peek of the interior, I do understand why the NTS have that policy and this is likely to be changed in 2017!).
After the tour had finished, we had a further wander around the grounds. The leaves on the trees are just about turning now so I’m looking forward to a few more weeks of autumnal leaf shots!
Thanks to National Trust Scotland who provided me with complimentary tickets to visit a property of my choice. All opinions are my own and I was not required to write a positive review.
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