The earliest parts of Fyvie Castle date from the 13th century – some sources claim it was built in 1211 by William the Lion. Fyvie was the site of an open-air court held by Robert the Bruce, and Charles I lived there as a child.

Following the Battle of Otterburn in 1390, it ceased to be a royal stronghold and instead fell into the possession of five successive families, each of whom added a new tower to the castle. The oldest of these, the Preston tower (located on the far right as one faces the main facade of Fyvie), dates to between 1390 and 1433. The impressive Seton tower forms the entrance, and was erected in 1599 by Alexander Seton; Seton also commissioned the great processional staircase several years later. The Gordon tower followed in 1778 , and the Leith in 1890.

Inside, the castle stronghold features a great wheel stair, a display of original arms and armour, and a collection of portraits.

Manus O'Cahan and Montrose fought a successful minor battle against the Covenant Army at Fyvie Castle on October 28, 1644.

Following Victorian trends, the grounds and adjoining Loch Fyvie were landscaped in the 19th century. The Scottish industrialist Alexander Leith (later Baron Leith of Fyvie) bought the castle in 1885. It was sold to the National Trust for Scotland in 1984 by his descendants. Today the castle is open to the public.

The castle (like many places in Scotland) is said to be haunted. A story is told that in 1920 during renovation work the skeleton of a woman was discovered behind a bedroom wall. On the day the remains were laid to rest in Fyvie cemetery, the castle residents started to be plagued by strange noises and unexplained happenings.

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Founded: 13th century
Category: Castles and fortifications in United Kingdom

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4.7/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

Kes Wells (11 months ago)
Great castle experience! Knowledgeable tour guide and plenty to look at during walk round. Fantastic gardens and extensive walks. Rounded off with a lovely coffee and fancy piece from their tearoom.
Alexandra Hall (12 months ago)
Great morning spent going round the castle on a guided tour. Great knowledgeable guide who made the tour really interesting and enjoyable. My first tour round for 20 years and my sons first visit. Fantastic place and well worth the time. Great conker tree out the front entrance too!
Corene Newbery (13 months ago)
Beautiful castle with informative guided tour with interesting facts on the castle and the families that have lived there. Lovely cafe with friendly and helpful staff, serving simple yet delicious food (courgette and chard soup, bacon rolls, lattes and hot chocolate) ? Beautifully-tended walled gardens jam-packed with stunning flowers, fruits and veggies. What a glorious place. Highly recommend for a few hours with the family. Kids, parents and grandparents all had a great time.
Spanish Gourmet (13 months ago)
Fyvie Castle is a gem in the shire. There are lots of Instagrammable areas for beautiful pictures. The gardens are well taken care of. There are several tables outdoors allocated for picnics. The cafe is well managed and the food is of good quality. Staff are pleasant. Added some photos of the food we had The shop is basically like any National Trust shop. I miss some more tartan clothing (shawls, etc)
Graeme Clark (18 months ago)
Nice place to go for a walk all year round. Not too far to walk round the lake, easy 20-30 minutes or so. Usually see a bit of wildlife, always ducks, swans, geese which you can feed there and occasionally sheep or cows in the fields too. Keeps the kids amused. It has taken a bit of a beating over the winter with the storms but still worth going. Plenty of space for parking and the castle and gardens there too.
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