The weather in Scotland in May was quite pleasant. While we did encounter many days of rain, the temperature was very mild and we did see the sunshine every-so-often.

The country is very accessible by car and if you feel comfortable driving on the "wrong" side of the roads and car, you should consider renting a vehicle. There is a lot to see in Scotland and most of it is spread out over vast countryside, so plan on a lot of your time being spent traveling. However, like we did, you could plan to see a lot while crossing the country to get from major city to major city.

The garden is stunning and the rooms are not only immaculate but are decorated to the highest quality. Our room had one double bed and had an ensuite bathroom. There are tea and coffee-making facilities and a television in the room. The owners show a "feature film" every night on one of the channels. The night we were there, they showed Loch Ness, a film from 1996, starring Ted Danson. The subject matter makes me wonder if they don't show this movie every night.

Breakfast was included in the price of the room. You have a choice of a full-English breakfast or the healthy alternative of fruit, yogurt and a roll.

The owners are very knowledgeable of the area and the hiking opportunities around. They were very impressed that we had found The Five Sisters on our own and hiked them. Beauly, the town nearest to their home, has a Chinese Take-Away and a pub/restaurant. Otherwise, Inverness is about a 15 minute drive away.

Unique qualities:
Garden, hiking near by, 15 minutes to Inverness, wonderfully decorated rooms, and in-room entertainment.

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Should you have questions about how to get around town or what to see, Wilma has an abundance of information. She also provides a map of the extensive bus system, which I highly recommend utilizing. Her son lives at the residence as well, and when we asked about when the buses stopped running, he said that if we needed to get home late at night, he would gladly come pick us up. We didn't need to take him up on the offer though because the buses run well into the night.

The accommodations were lovely and the hosts were very generous and kind. The price of our room was £25 per person, which included breakfast. This is the standard price for rooms in Britain during their low season.

Unique qualities:
Central location, private car park, very large guest rooms, and an excellent breakfast.

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The castle is in ruins now, but most of the outer walls are in tact. It is located on a large area of land, which is forested and farmed. While we were there, the castle was under construction, but it did not interfere with our sightseeing. Bring an umbrella because there are no ceilings and you will get wet if it rains. There is also a small gift shop and free parking.

Admission:
Adult £2.20; child 75p; concessions £1.60.
Please note: Children under the age of 16 must be accompanied by an adult.

Directions:
15 miles north of Aberdeen, on the A920

Open all summer and at weekends in winter.

Phone: 01651 851286

Near Daviot, 5M NW of Inverurie off the A96

It lies one mile West of Insch, in Aberdeenshire

Directions:
Follow the signs to the car park at the bottom of the hill.

Throughout the mansion grounds are gardens, trails and plenty of places to make a picnic. There is a sign that says you need to pay for parking, but we were never asked for money.

Huntly, Grampian

Phone: 014640831216

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It was built by William Forbes in 1626 and it remains much as it did when it was occupied by the Forbes family. If you are into ghost stories, I recommend visiting this castle. The Blue Bedroom is the haunt of one of the Gordon clan members, who fell from a window. He has been pushed to his death by "Red" Sir John Forbes, a noble. Several people heard the step of the unfortunate Gordon climbing the stairs to the Blue Bedroom, as if he was living the moment before his death again and again.

There are examples of beautiful woodwork and weaponry decorating the castle. The gardens include a small gatehouse, which resembles a house out of Snow White.

Phone: 01339883635

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Unfortunately, the guidebooks have incorrect closing times listed and we missed out on touring this castle. We did visit the gift shop, which was very large and had many nice Scottish souvenirs. We also had tea in their tearoom, which was wonderful.

Phone: 01330 833463

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We walked along the edge of the hill just up from the beach, when we came across a large valley, which we climbed down and up to get to the castle. It was messy, but FUN! Anyway, we got to the castle and we were STUNNED by its beauty! It is picture perfect! (Check out the other photo on my main Scotland travel page)

The castle was built by the Earl of Erroll in 1597 and was added to over the next twenty years. Because of its strange unsettlingly beautiful qualities of the ruins, it isn't surprising that Bram Stoker found inspiration from it for his story of Dracula.

One of the downsides of the castle is that it isn't part of any historic trust, so it isn't being cared for at the moment. Teenagers must hold wild parties out there because the area is littered with beer cans and other interesting discarded party items.

Directions:
On the south facing cliffs about a kilometer east of Cruden Bay. You can walk to it from the village itself, or from the slightly nearer car park at a bend on the A975.

The most impressive part of the ruins is the six stories tall David's Tower. Within the east wall of the stout tower are five vaulted chambers, one above the other, built into the thickness of one wall. These mural rooms are just large enough to take a bed, and probably served as housing for visitors. The inner walls and vaults in the tower have collapsed leaving only a thin outer wall. It has required repairs in recent years. The garret and upper works are gone, replaced by an ugly Plexiglas roof that keeps the rain off of the plaster walls, which are in surprisingly good repair. A wine cellar was housed in the basement, reached by a hatch through the floor.

The property is managed by Historic Scotland and there is a small gift shop located in the entrance gate.

Address:
Elgin

Historic Scotland website

There is a brand-new visitor center, which includes a large gift shop, cafe, and multimedia presentation of the history of the castle and area. Adjacent to the visitor's complex is a free car park.

Address:
2M S of Drumnadrochit on the A82

Phone:
01456 450551

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One tip: Check opening/closing times for the castles before driving to them. We found that even the guidebooks had incorrect times printed in them.

All of the castles on the trail charge an admission fee. Some of them are part of Historic Scotland and some are part of Scottish National Trust. Both of these groups offer a membership (for a fee), which includes free entrance to their attractions. We purchased the Scottish National Trust membership, which also is connected to the other British National Trusts and has attractions available all over the world. The Scottish National Trust locations along and near the castle trail are: Castle Frasier, Craigievar Castle, Crathes Castle, Drum Castle, Fyvie Castle, Haddo House, Leith Hall, Mar Lodge Estate, Pitmedden Garden

Address: Aberdeen and Grampian Counties

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We were fortunate enough to have a warm, sunny day for our drive. The highlights of our drive on the trail were Slains Castle (near Cruden Bay) and the coastal scenery of much of the drive.

I am including tips on some of the various places that we stopped along the way to Inverness.

Address: Aberdeenshire and Grampian Counties