Drum Castle, Garden & Estate (National Trust for Scotland)

This castle is definitely worth a visit. The gardens are beautiful, blooming with flowers on our visit in August, and humming with bees and lovely butterflies. The access to the interior is by guided tour only, but it is well worth doing the 45 minute tour. Our guide was informative, and entertaining. Entry and parking is free for NT members.

Good parking. Easy to find. Beautiful castle. Interesting history and great tour guide. Beautiful gardens. Photos are allowed. A few stairs but not tiny spiral staircases if that’s an issue for you. Nice facilities and cafe.

We enjoyed our visit to Drum Castle. The tour guide was knowledgeable and friendly and we found the information interesting. Unfortunately, it was pouring cats and dogs when we finished, so although we did make our way to the gardens it was hard to enjoy them with the weather. That said, you could tell that the walled rose garden was a special place and the water garden we passed was quite peaceful. The only reason I’m rating this a 4 vs a 5 is because there are a few other walled gardens that are larger with more variety for the avid gardener. My only recommendation would be for the tour guide to end the tour with more info about what we could find outside. The walled garden is a short walk from the castle and could easily be missed. We just happened to ask about it.

An amazing place to visit. Highly recommended. The grounds are idyllic. You are guided around the Castle by an informative guide who made the whole experience entertaining. The grounds are amazing and such a joy to explore.

Staff are very knowledgeable about the building ad history. Good walks around the grounds. House is by guided tour only book on arrival.

The playground is uniquely designed using only natural materials. It was great, and the children really enjoyed it. The castle gardens were filled with the beautiful scent of roses, and the whole place was lovely.

One of the best castles around Aberdeen, a stunning walled garden, a playfield for the young and a woodland trail. I really enjoyed the guided tour of the castle, the knowledge and the little stories that they shared, worth the money. Highly recommended to visit.

Interesting castle with excellent guide. Garden had lovely plants, but best seen in rose season. The old woodland was amazing and well worth walking. The kids area was made from local trees etc - extremely clever and made me wish I was 5!

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!