Aberdeenshire
Though a magnificent example of Scottish Baronial architecture, Fyvie Castle is probably more famous for its ghosts, including a phantom trumpeter and the mysterious Green Lady, and its art collection, which displays portraits by Thomas Gainsborough and Sir Henry Raeburn. The grounds are open all year (9am to dusk).
The castle is 25 miles north of Aberdeen on the A947 towards Turriff. A bus runs hourly from Aberdeen to Banff and Elgin via Fyvie village (£8.35, 1½ hours), a mile from the castle.
22.78 MILES
The fascinating Scottish Lighthouse Museum provides an insight into the network of lights that have safeguarded the Scottish coast for over 100 years, and…
15.61 MILES
One of Scotland's underappreciated treasures, Duff House is home to an art gallery with a superb collection of Scottish and European art, including…
23.41 MILES
Overlooking the nautical bustle of Aberdeen harbour is the Maritime Museum, centred on a three-storey replica of a North Sea oil-production platform,…
27.39 MILES
As well as housing a selection of distillery memorabilia (try saying that after a few drams), the Whisky Museum holds ‘nosing and tasting evenings’ in the…
23.11 MILES
This excellent museum records the history of one of the British Army's most famous fighting units, described by Winston Churchill as 'the finest regiment…
18.51 MILES
This museum houses a fascinating collection of vintage vehicles, including a Triumph Bonneville in excellent nick, a couple of Model T Fords (including…
Forvie National Nature Reserve
17.59 MILES
Coastal sand dunes extend north from Aberdeen for more than 14 miles, one of the largest areas of dunes in the UK, and the least affected by human…
23.24 MILES
Marischal College, founded in 1593 by the 5th Earl Marischal, merged with King's College (founded 1495) in 1860 to create the modern University of…
7.08 MILES
Designed in Georgian style by William Adam in 1732, Haddo House is best described as a classic English stately home transplanted to Scotland. Home to the…
14.45 MILES
Castle St (beside the Huntly Hotel) runs north from the town square to an arched gateway and tree-lined avenue that leads to 16th-century Huntly Castle,…
15.61 MILES
One of Scotland's underappreciated treasures, Duff House is home to an art gallery with a superb collection of Scottish and European art, including…
15.96 MILES
The local museum covers wildlife, geology and history, and Banff silver – from the late 17th century until the 1880s the town supported two dozen…
16.23 MILES
The centrepiece of Macduff's aquarium is a 400,000L open-air tank, complete with kelp-coated reef and wave machine. Marine oddities on view include the…
16.81 MILES
The impressive 16th- to 17th-century Castle Fraser, 16 miles west of Aberdeen, is the ancestral home of the Fraser family. The largely Victorian interior…
7. Forvie National Nature Reserve
17.59 MILES
Coastal sand dunes extend north from Aberdeen for more than 14 miles, one of the largest areas of dunes in the UK, and the least affected by human…
18.51 MILES
This museum houses a fascinating collection of vintage vehicles, including a Triumph Bonneville in excellent nick, a couple of Model T Fords (including…