Tolquhon Gallery - 4 Things to Know Before Visiting

Tolquhon Castle is a substantial ruinous courtyard castle with a large tower and some fantastic stone carving on the gatehouse, held by the Preston family and then by the Forbeses, in a quiet spot near Tarves in Aberdeenshire in northeast Scotland. The castle was built by William Forbes, 7th Laird of Tolquhon, between 1584 and 1589 as an extension to the earlier tower house known as Preston's Tower. Although ruined, the castle has been described as "the most characteristic château of the Scots R

Haddo House is a spectacular country house designed by William Adam and built in the years between 1731 and 1736. Today the house is owned by the National Trust for Scotland and open to the public. The surrounding country park is operated by Aberdeenshire Council, while the extremely large Haddo Estate, of which the country park forms only a small part, continues to function as a farming and sporting estate.

The historic walled garden at Castle Fraser, like many other gardens is situated a little way from the house and provides a sheltered environment for the plantings. These include shrubs, flowers, well trained fruit and vegetables. A new herbaceous border has been created on the south side of of one of the walls.The garden has views towards the magnificent castle which was completed in 1636 and has a fine interior. This includes a magnificent baronial hall, furniture and works of art.

Loanhead Stone Circle is one of the best examples of a monument type known as a recumbent stone circle. These monuments are only found in north-east Scotland. They’re defined by a ring of upright stones, with a massive stone slab laid on its side between two upright pillar stones – usually in the south-west arc of the circle. The recumbent setting is at the south-south-west of the circle but the recumbent stone itself is angled somewhat towards the south.

Newburgh Beach, is one of the best places in the United Kingdom for spotting marine wildlife. Along the sandy estuary of the River Ythan, there is a large colony of around 400 seals, which make the shoreline their home, and can safely be observed from the opposite bank. Children will love watching the seals, which can be both cute and comical, going about their daily business here.

One of Scotland's longest beaches it stretches south for 14 miles from the mouth of the River Ythan to the River Don at Aberdeen. The easiest place to reach the beach is from the Balmedie Country Park, 8 miles north of Aberdeen and signposted off the A90. Here there is an attractive cark park, picnic area and play park. Boardwalk paths lead through the sand dunes to the beach.