The Ham Nomads

28 Jul 2014. <GB-SCT> Drumoak, & Banchory, & Newmill Hill, Aberdeenshire —

We woke slowly at Newmill Hill. The early sun had burned off the low fog that enclosed us for most of the night. We had breakfast, then drove the one mile to Drum Castle. We were a little early for the castle itself to be open, so we took the advice of the delightful lady who had arrived to keep order in the car park, and we went down to wander in the rose gardens. This is a "Garden of Historic Roses", and is most interesting in that it consists of four formal parterre gardens, laid out in the styles of the 17th, 18th, 19th and 20th centuries, and each containing plants typical of those centuries. So, in the 17th century garden you have, for example, the red and white roses of York (remember the Wars of the Roses, between the two houses of York?). The 19th century planting reminds you of many civic gardens, most of which were laid out in Queen Victoria's time. The 20th century garden features massed plantings with splashes of colour competing for attention.

The castle itself is of three parts, only the newer parts being truly inhabited. The oldest part is a Tower House dating to the second half of the thirteenth century. There were two further extensions, one in the Jacobean period and the second in the Victorian period. These sections were inhabited by the Irvines until they bequeathed it to the National Trust in 1976.

There is a story about the 17th laird, Alexander Irvine, who fought for the Jacobites at Culloden. When he fled back to Drum after the rout, Government troops had occupied the grounds. His sister, Mary Irvine, a formidable woman, was able to smuggle him into the castle where he hid until able to make his way to Paris. He remained in exile in Paris for some years until he was ultimately pardoned and allowed home. Mary had been managing the estates during his absence, and she continued to do so after his death.

The rooms are magnificent, particularly the Library and the Drawing Room and Dining Room. These last two were originally one long High Hall — reputedly one of the longest rooms in Scotland, running the entire length of the long Jacobean extension. In the eighteenth century it was divided into two, and in the 1880s it was redecorated in Victorian style, but with a beautiful oak panelled ceiling and chimney piece in Jacobean style. This is the way we see it today. The library has recently been fully refurbished. The ordering of the books on the shelves has a story — the laird was impatient for the work to commence, so he instructed to decorators to remove the books as quickly as possible and get on with the work. When, at the end of the redecoration they asked him how to put the books back on the shelves, all he said was "As quickly as possible" — and so they did, and this is the order we see today! That's a story to gladden the hearts of all librarians!

The original tower has reverted much to its original state, with bare stonework, dirt floors, and very little in the way of human habitation. It has three levels — the store room, the upper hall, and the battlements. In the store room is the original well. The castle would never have run short of water!

After our time at Drum, we went about 5 miles down the road to Crathes Castle. The gardens are stunning, among the finest in the UK. There are many topiary yew trees, some over 250 years old. Some are trimmed in the rather bizarre 'egg and cup' design. There are eight distinct gardens within the walled garden, and you could just wander for hours, turning corners and coming upon something new to entrance you.

The land was given to the Burnard (later Burnett) family by Robert the Bruce in about 1323. The castle itself was built in the sixteenth century and has been occupied by the one family until passed over to the National Trust in 1951. One of its claims to fame is its painted ceilings, most of which were covered over until revealed during the restoration process. Many have been fully restored, but a couple have been left in the state they were when discovered. In the Laird's bedroom is a magnificent carved oak four-poster bed dated 1594. It is too large to have been brought in, and tradition has it that it was carved and built in situ, in the room where it now stands!

After spending a lovely day at these two castles, we returned to last night's stopping place at Newmill Hill, just down the road.

Distance driven — today, 25 miles ( 40 km ); to date, 5,187 miles ( 8,348 km )