Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
unusual star-shaped curtain wall and an eventful history. Built in 1537, it was
turned into a barracks by the Hanoverian government in 1748, in the aftermath of
Culloden, in order to track down local Jacobite rebels; a century later, English
redcoats were stationed here with the unpopular task of trying to control whisky
smuggling. Today the place has been restored to resemble its days as a barracks, with
stark rooms and rows of hard, uncomfortable beds - authentic touches which also
extend to gra
ti on the walls and peat smoke permeating the building from a fire
on the upper floor.
ACCOMMODATION
10
CORGARFF CASTLE
Allargue Arms Hotel
Half a mile north of the castle
T
01975 651410,
W
allarguearmshotel.co.uk.
The
nearest accommodation option to Corgarff Castle, offering
simple B&B and good-value bar meals that include a
half-pound steak burger. This old wayside inn overlooks the
castle and is a cosy base for
skiing
, fishing or hiking trips.
Daily noon-3pm & 7-9pm.
£60
The northeast coast
The
NORTHEAST
COAST
of Scotland from Aberdeen to Inverness has a rugged,
sometimes bleak fringe with pleasant if undramatic farmland rolling inland. Still,
if the weather is good, it's well worth spending a couple of days meandering
through the various little fishing villages and along the miles of deserted,
unspoilt beaches. The largest coastal towns are
Peterhead
and
Fraserburgh
, both
dominated by sizeable fishing fleets; while neither has much to make a long stay
worthwhile, the latter's Museum of Scottish Lighthouses is one of the most
attractive small museums in Scotland. More appealing to most visitors are the
quieter spots along the Moray coast, including the charming villages of
Pennan
,
Gardenstown
,
Portsoy
and
Cullen
.
GETTING AROUND
THE COAST
By train
Trains are a faster but less frequent option
than taking the bus, running every 1-2hrs from
Aberdeen to Elgin (1hr 30min), Forres (1hr 45min) and
Nairn (2hr).
By bus
The main towns and villages along this stretch of
coast are well served by buses. There are hourly services
from Aberdeen running to Elgin (2hr 30min), Forres (2hr
50min) and Nairn (3hr 15min).
Forvie National Nature Reserve
Three miles north of Newburgh
• Visitor centre April-Sept daily 9am-5pm; call for winter hours • Free •
T
01358 751330
Fifteen miles north of Aberdeen, a turning (signposted to Collieston) leads off the main
A90 coast road to
Forvie National Nature Reserve
. his area incorporates the Sands of
Forvie, one of Britain's largest and least disturbed dune systems, which is home to
Britain's largest colony of breeding eider duck. here's a small but informative
visitor
centre
,
from which a network of trails winds along the coast and through the dunes,
with one leading to the site of a fifteenth-century village buried by the shifting sands.
Cruden Bay
Superb sandy beaches can be found eight miles north of Forvie at
Cruden Bay
, from
where a pleasant fifteen-minute walk leads to the huge pink-granite ruin of
Slains
Castle
. he ruin itself is not especially interesting - it was over-modernized in the
nineteenth century - though its stark clifftop beauty is striking and it claims notoriety
as the place that inspired Bram Stoker to write
Dracula
. he best approach is to pull
into the Meikle Partans car park on the A975 north of the village and follow the
obvious path until you begin to see the ruins.
