The Castle & Gardens of Mey

Fascinating castle which was bought and refurbished by the late Queen Mother between 1952-55. Clearly, a much loved home and continues to be by King Charles. Beware closed Monday and Tuesday, except to bus parties. Lovely afternoon tea and fruit scones are delicious. Don't miss the walled garden.

Beautiful castle. The service is great. They tell you stories about Queen Mum and her way to live in the castle. The tearoom serves delicious food. Start your visit in the main gardens. They are lovely. And the scent of the roses is impressive. Don't miss the small garden on the other side of the castle. Now you know the surroundings. You can proceed to the castle tour afterwards. You notice the position of each room by looking out of the windows. (I was surprised where the dining room ist located.) Enjoy your stay!

Great little castle and history of it. You spend about half an hour in the castle which is full of highly knowledgeable and friendly guides in each room who are happy to ask any questions. Lovely little garden and animal area. My only criticism was I think the animals could have a little more room but there is no doubt they are well looked after. Be warned it can be windy outside in this area so check the forecast and bring waterproofs if needed. There is also a small shop and large canteen on site.

Beautiful and personal. The guides provided fascinating insight and information. The gardens are well laid out and were full of bumble bees and beneficial insects.

Weather can, understandably be temperamental in this part of the world. But we had a blue sky summers day. Lovely yo walk around the gardens first (when buying tickets the staff warned us that 2 coach parties had just arrived and better to do gardens first and then the castle itself). So, gardens lovely, about 30 mins to enjoy or more then the castle. Not that many rooms to go through but most had a guide that gave history and insight into our late Queen's mother's life. Also, big shout out to Jane who sold us tickets and, generously, gave me the 60+ concession price with just 12 days before i actually turn 60! We finished our visit with a cafe meal. Terrific venue. Recommended.

Absolutely wonderful magical setting .Excellent informative staff.wide variety of food served in cafe/restaurant. Tour round castle and gardens brilliant ..plus the ambiance that the Queen "mum" lived there.

The castle was lovely but the tour was over in 15 minutes the grounds were well kept

Was closed but we were able to take a peek around the back towards the sea , nice place to see whilst going from Thurso to Groats

Absolutely stunning this little castle, small cosy rooms inside beautifully kept, this is well worth a visit. And there are lovely gardens to see and walk around, also a farm with pigs, chickens and lots of animals the kids will enjoy seeing. And when you've done all that there is a great cafe serving fresh and home made food. Enjoy your day.

After a long visit to Duncansby Head we were passing the Castle of Mey - a very picturesque Castle with a big history. We didn't plan on visiting the castle, mostly because we were running late (closes at 4pm). But since we just arrived shortly after 4pm the Tearoom was still open (until 5pm), a good opportunity to take a quick break and have some tea and snacks. The staff here was extremely friendly and it was nice chatting with them (mostly about or English Bulldog who was travelling with us). There is a good number of seats inside, but since we wanted to enjoy the views of the castle and countryside we took a seat outside, where dogs are welcome as well. We ordered some tea and scones (and some Lemonade for my thirst). Tea was good, but especially the Scones with the clotted cream were a treat! And nice strawberry jam to go with. We very much enjoyed our visit here. So, if you are visiting the castle, be sure to plan some extra time for a quick break at the tearoom!

great day out! first off I want to say how fantastic the staff were today. they took such delight in telling us stories about the queen mother in her home. there was so much to see and it was fascinating to see her belongings and see how she made this place home for 60 days of the year. I'm not sure why you can't take pics inside.

My husband and I visited The Castle of Mey during our September trip to John O' Groats. When we booked the trip, we had never heard of The Castle of Mey and went into it with zero expectations. We paid eleven pounds each for the castle tour, which is guided and given in small groups. We had eight visitors in our tour group. The guide was extremely knowledgeable and happy to answer questions. I learned a ton of information about the Queen Mum and my biggest take-away is that she seemed like a really fun-loving person. The Castle of Mey was her summer home and it's filled with momentos and personal touches. It's surprisingly down-to-earth and not at all what you might expect from a royal residence. Admittedly, it does feel a bit like a visit to grannies house! After the tour, we visited the Animal Centre. If you love animals, you will love the Animal Centre. These animals are well looked after and very friendly. Let's face it, they won the animal jackpot by getting a home here. Make sure to buy some bird feed. The Castle of Mey is a must-see if you're visiting the area.

Really nice. Like a visit to Grandma's. You know, if she were the queen. This castle differs a bit from the likes of Dunrobin and Cawdor in that it's only available to see by guided tour, and the decor was comprised entirely secondhand as a bit of comeuppance by the Queen Mum to those who would tell her how a proper castle should be decorated. There's not much on the tour to appease the kids, but there is a farm exhibition and petting zoo on the grounds. If one parent is willing to bite that bullet it'll make the tour all the more pleasant for everyone involved. (speaking from opposite experience here) The cafe in the visitor's centre also serves up a surprisingly rich and flavorful latte, and their desserts are on-par with the British taste for afternoon sweets. tldr; cool castle, tasty treats.

WELCOME TO THE CASTLE OF MEY The most northerly castle on the UK mainland, the Castle of Mey stands in a magnificent setting on the Caithness coast, with glorious views across the Pentland Firth towards Orkney. AN HISTORIC CASTLE The Castle of Mey was built in the tate 16th century by George Sinclair, the 4th Earl of Caithness and was occupied by his descendants for over three hundred years. This colourful period in the castle's history embraces the dark deeds of the earliest owners as well as the eccentric activities of later occupants such as the 14th Earl who brought the first steam car to this part of Scotland in 1860. The 15th Earl of Caithness was the last Sinclaire to live at Mey. When he died in 1889 the castle was bequeathed away from the Sinclair family and subsequently bought by The Queen Mother in 1952. A ROYAL HOME When The Queen Mother first saw the Castle of Mey, it was a poor state of repair. Recently widowed and looking for somewhere to escape from the public eye, she decided to save from ruin. This she did and in the proccss, created a much-loved holiday home to which she returned every summer for he rest of her life. Today the castle is kept as it was when The Queen Mother was in residence. With the help of the knowledgeable guides, the visitor gains a fascinating insight into her personality, her interests and her love of life. A LOST GARDEN The walled garden was dear to The Queen Mother's heart and represents a real triumph over the neglect of time and the onslaught of the elements. Within the shelter of the Great Wall of Mey, a traditional Scottish garden has been lovingly recreated. The Queen Mother's personal touch is apparent eyerywhere, from the greenhouse with its magnificent floral displays to the Shell Garden, a place she loved to sit, with its old-fashioned shrub roses and climbers. It is very much a working garden and, during The Queen Mother's summer residence, it provided the kitchen with fruit and vegetables and still does so when Prince Charles stays. Two rose garden, shaped in facing "E"s have also been added. THE QUEEN ELIZABETH CASTLE OF MEY TRUST The Queen Mother established The Queen Elizabeth Castle of Mey Trust in 1996 and transferred ownership of the castle to it later that year. It was her wish that the Trust should maintain the castle for the benefit of the local community. As President of the Trust, Prince Charles takes a keen interest in events at Mey. Since his grandmother's death in March 2002, he has stayed at the castle in early August every year.

It is a nice castle with a pleasant, if expensive, tearoom and souvenir shop. I think it trades too much on its connection with the royal family and not enough on its history, location, gardens and architecture. I think it probably does most of its trade with the tourist coaches. Worth a look if nothing else.

The castle and garden of mey is very posh for me. From what i have seen the royal family do enjoy a quick stay there. The garden is huge and has amazing view's and space. This place is just out side of mey, it doesn't seem to be there for public viewing's though i recommend a Quick view for yourself