The Ham Nomads

26 Jul 2014. <GB-SCT> Huntly, & Fyvie, Aberdeenshire —

Distance driven — today, 59 miles ( 95 km ); to date, 5,088 miles ( 8,189 km )

Today we only had two planned destinations — Leith Hall and Fyvie Castle. These two NTS sites, both in Aberdeenshire, are related as well because of their links with the Leith family.

Leith Hall, located about 6 miles south of Huntly, was originally constructed as a tower house in about 1650 by James Leith. This original construction remains as the north wing of the hall, but there have been about 300 years of additions since then, and the place is now a genteel country mansion. The gardens which surround it are definitely worth walking, especially the walled garden, which is magnificent, with spectacular plantings to produce a gamut of colour. Other parts of the gardens, which were 'modernised' in the 1980s, are being restored to their late 18th century splendour — even the rocks that were removed from the rockeries have been located and are being returned to their original positions with the aid of numerous photographs taken before that were disturbed. The house itself was gifted to the trust, complete with all its contents, in the 1950s, when the last remaining Leith-Hay had no direct descendents to bequeath it to. It is thus an important 'family document', preserving intact all the furnishings, art collections and paraphernalia belonging to the family.

In the Leith Hall Gardens

Fyvie Castle

Fyvie Castle, just out of Fyvie, and about 27 miles drive WNW from Leith Hall, has an 800-year history. The construction of its five towers have been attributed (falsely but for the last two) to five of the families who have owned the castle over time — Preston, Meldrum, Seton, Gordon and Leith. We won't go into the full history of the place, but let it be said that this is what everyone thinks of as a Scottish manorial castle.

The building and the grounds were being used for a wedding as we arrived, but fortunately the place is so big that they were able to continue running tours even while the wedding was coming to a close. During the tour, we went into the room where the wedding had been held. Even though the furniture had been somewhat rearranged to accommodate the function, these two rooms (the Drawing Room and the Gallery) were absolutely mind-blowing. They are adjoining, and the large doors can be opened to make one huge room, suitable for concerts (which were their use when in the hands of the Leith family) or weddings. The old musicians' gallery in the Gallery has been revamped to house a pipe organ by Norman and Beard. Beneath this there is a smaller pipe organ and a grand piano. Must relate something from the guidebook about this room...

"It was in this room that Queen Victoria Eugenie of Spain heard the pipers and fiddlers play Scottish reels. Her foot began to tap. She could not resist — after all she was the granddaughter of Queen Victoria and had often danced at Balmoral Castle. The King demurred, pointing out that it was contrary to all precedent for a Queen of his country to dance in public. 'You can refuse me nothing on my honeymoon', she replied, and, before the astonished eyes of the Spanish courtiers, she danced the night away."

These rooms are reached from the front entrance via the Great Stair, a wheel stair, the finest in Scotland, which was built in the late 1500s by Alexander Seton, Earl of Dunfermline, Chancellor of Scotland. This magnificent stair has a radius of ten feet, sufficient for the later owners the Gordons to ride their horses to the top to satisfy a wager!

We then drove south from Fyvie Castle towards tomorrow's first destination, Pitmedden Garden. We stopped short, in a layby, which will leave us about half an hour to drive tomorrow.

As we relax in the van the rain, totally absent for the past few hot summer days, is gently pattering on the roof of the van.