Drum Castle - Garden & Estate

Was an AMAZING tour guide, Marianne I think Loved the Jacobite history connected to the families that lived here Not as grand as some NTS properties but homely and real Staff and volunteers great Make sure you visit the chapel in the grounds

Very informative tour of the castle and the gardens are lovely we stayed a couple of hours and enjoyed it

Great place to take the kids. We did the forest walk and it was magical. Beautiful place. The kids play area is still closed but looks great (may 2024).

Lovely national Trust property with great walks.. If with kids, there is a lovely stream on one of the walks.

We only viewed the castle from the outside as we were primarily here to see the chapel and the walking trails. There is a lot of scaffolding up currently as the tower structure is being worked on and is closed off and the kids playpark is also closed (October 2023) so I suspect there will be some work going on through the off-season months and perhaps some new playthings will be available soon. We enjoyed the chapel very much, it's lovely inside, and the small family and pet cemeteries behind it are beautifully kept. We followed all of the walking trails and took in the fantastic view from the trig point on the blue route before heading off to the walled garden which was gorgeous even at this time of year. Without going inside the castle itself, we spent around 2 hours exploring the grounds. There is a nice little cafe here, a gift shop and an accessible toilet. Parking costs £3 per visit or free for NTS members as per normal. Entry to the walled garden is £5 per adult if not an NTS member. Entry to the castle (guided tours available only) is £15.50 or £30 for a family if not an NTS member and is timeslotted but booking is not essential.

One-hour guided tour only of the castle, the garden is accessible independently. Since the castle was not part of our explorer pass, I found it a bit more expensive than the others, £27.50 for an adult and child, plus £3 for parking, plus drinks and snacks, and souvenirs if you decide to buy them. I would recommend purchasing a National Trust of Scotland membership if you plan on doing the castle trail. The tour was a bit long for my 7-year old, although quite informative for older folks. The garden was beautiful and well maintained.

As national trust for Scotland members we like to support the great work the trust does and visit the many castles and houses they manage. Drum Castle was very enjoyable. They do guided tours only which makes it much more interesting than just walking about on your own. Last entry was 3pm and the tour started at 3.15. Our guide Ryan (maybe Reece) was excellent. He really brought the house to life, the history of the family and the dramas that took place there. The gardens are also lovely to walk around if it's a nice day. Would definitely recommend a visit, however there are a lot of stairs (although not all at once).

The castle is worth watching. The guide was okay, but I felt there were too many people in one group. Unfortunately, we couldn't look around properly. However, we had a fantastic soup at the coffee shop.

Lovely place ... as are most castles in Scotland. We had a good Curator who was very knowledgable. Top floor a waste of time for me ... U.S. Presidents' pictures which was a bit odd to me. The first and second floors were great. Exquisite burled walnut furniture ... silverware was ... as is all over Scotland. .. sublime. The bus ride from town (Aberdeeen) is heavenly. They have a small tea room in the castle. The grounds are lovely ... and the 20 minute walk to the castle from the bus is lovely ... narrow road is lined with pink thistle and heather ... ah ... Scotland!

I could live in this castle. The docent said the castle has no lord. Well, I volunteer. I would spend all of my time in the library--the coolest room I have ever seen. If I were to design a home for myself, I would build it around this library, sans the featured painting, of course. Drum castle is a must-see destination. Trust me.

Another beautiful castle... It's a self guided tour and there are information sheets in each room and a docent on each floor ready to answer any questions you may have. The rooms are full of beautiful art work however what I found most interesting here were two things outside of the main house that they don't really mention when you arrive, the first is the estates cathedral and graveyard where you can enjoy some beautiful stained glass windows and search for the burial place of Torty who lived on the estate for 149 years... Torty was a tortoise! And the second was the access to the medieval part of the tower from the back of the house which took you all the way to the basements and all the way to the tower roof. I was given a great hint here... If you're going to visit more than 4 castles or 4-5 National Trust locations invest in a membership... It's an annual membership worth £54 for a single or £95 for a family and you'll quickly make your money back if your visiting lots and lots of sites. Spend the time and also check out the gardens you may even be lucky enough to spot a deer or an elusive red squirrel!