Aberdeenshire

Explore castles, have a go at coasteering and learn about lighthouses in this wild, beautiful north-east region

-  MORAG LINDSAY

Trail Of Turrets

If there's something Scotland isn't short of, it's castles and Aberdeenshire has some of the best

YOU could stay in a hotel when you visit Aberdeenshire. Or a bed and breakfast, or a campsite. Maybe Airbnb it like everyone else. Or you could live like a lord at Lickleyhead Castle.

This 16th-century pile at Auchleven, near Insch, sits on the banks of the Gadie Burn and has been held by the Leiths, the Leslies, the Forbes, the Lumsdens and the Duffs - all powerful north-east families - at various points throughout its colourful history.

Game Of Thrones actress Rose Leslie - Ygritte in the popular HBO drama and the real-life wife of co-star Kit Harington, who played Jon Snow - spent her childhood here, before the castle and grounds were sold in 2019.

And today, it has to rank as one of the poshest self-catering holiday lets in Aberdeenshire.

There are eight bedrooms, a great hall, a library, a games room, a chapel, enormous open fires and a hand-carved Queen Anne four-poster bed.

Guests can roam across the four-hectare (10 acres) estate, sample paid activities - such as a mini Highland games or enjoy a complimentary round at nearby Insch Golf Club.

And while most visitors are happy with self-catering, a butler, maids and a private chef can all be at your service if you want to go the full Downton.

With more than 260 castles, stately homes and mansions - more per acre than anywhere else in the UK - it's easy to see why Aberdeenshire is known as Castle Country.

Scotland's Castle Trail offers a greatest hits tour of some of the most scenic, fascinating and visitor-friendly sites, from Balmoral - with its royal connections - to tumbledown ruins.

The 230-mile route starts in Stonehaven and finishes in Alford, or vice-versa.