I Capture the Castle

One of the wonderful things about living where I do is the abundance of beautiful castles right on the doorstep. This is one of my favourites, Crathes Castle. It's a 16th century castle and inside has unique  Jacobean rooms, with painted ceilings and their very own ghosts...

There's no cameras allowed inside, except to take photos of the spectacular views, but outside is a different story. The castle has 530 acres of grounds, and the absolute best bit of all is the walled garden, which itself is nearly 4 acres! I've visited a few times, most recently Ben and I went with my parents when they were up here on holiday. I think the Autumn colours may see the gardens at their most beautiful of all.

There's a brilliant story about the hedge you can see in the background of this picture. In the 80s, a gardener was giving it a trim, and found a wine bottle in the hedge. A 200+ years old wine bottle! They think it had been dumped in the hedge during a particularly alcohol fuelled party. I think this creates a wonderful link between the past and the present, it makes the past a bit more real don't you think?

There's a little information board about the Lady that designed the gardens, which I wish I'd taken a photo of. She was lovely, her picture is beautiful, and the gardens were a wonderful gift to leave for future generations.

This is my favourite place to visit near where I live - where's yours?