Scottish Tour Guide's Blog

This morning, I collected my guests from Aberdeen, N E Scotland and then drove S W first stopping for coffee about 1 hour later at a roadside cafe where we encountered a small fleet of Porsche motor cars evidently involved in a Highlands rally.

Next stop was Corgarff Castle, an isolated but very picturesque structure which started as a Tower House and was then taken over by the British Army in the 18th century as part of an initiative to subdue the Highlands. The army built the curtain wall surrounding the base of the castle.

Corgarff Castle, Highlands, Scotland

Corgarff presented some great photo opps aided by the remarkably sunny weather.

Highland Scenery at Corgarff Castle, Scotland

Next we drove about 10 mins to Glenlivet Distillery where we joined the 1220 tour which took us through the basic malting, mashing, fermentation, distillation and maturation processes. Overall a good tour. Glenlivet has a very long history, has been recently expanded to meet increased demand and is owned by the French drinks group, Pernod Ricard.

Here is an image of the stills. Not well balanced pic due to restrictions on photography in turn due to alcohol vapours.

Whisky Stills at Glenlivet Distillery

Maturing Whisky at Glenlivet Distillery, Scotland

Whisky Tasting with Tour Guide at Glenlivet

Our next destination was Aberlour, about 20 mins away where we availed of a spot of lunch.

At 3.00pm we joined the tour of Aberlour Distillery which was led by a very competent guide with highlight being the tasting of 5 malts. This 2 hour long tour was well attended as our visit coincided with the Speyside Whisky Festival.

Tour Group at Aberlour Distillery, Speyside

Here is an image of the stills at Aberlour. Like Glenlivet, photography is restricted due to alcohol vapours.

Whisky Stills at Aberlour Distillery, Speyside

Aberlour was our final visit of the day after which we returned to Aberdeen and fond farewells at conclusion of a fascinating Whisky Tour which was aided by unusually sunny weather.

En-route we passed through the whisky town of Dufftown which was decorated to celebrate the Royal Wedding.

Dufftown, Speyside, Scotland

Former College Building, Aberdeen, Scotland

This evening, I am in Aberdeen, N.E. Scotland in readiness for a Speyside Whisky tour tomorrow. This city has some fascinating church and civic architecture, as evidenced by the images above and below.

I took the opportunity to spend the evening walking around the city and harbour taking photographs in the evening sunshine.

Aberdeen is known as the ‘Granite City’ because of the type of stone of which most properties here are constructed.

Although originally a small fishing village many years ago Aberdeen has prospered in line with growth of the North Sea oil industry in which the city plays a key role in the service/support sector.

Friendly Citizen of Aberdeen, Scotland

Ecclesiastical Architecture, Aberdeen, Scotland

City Square, Aberdeen, Scotland

Irish Pub, Aberdeen, Scotland

Commercial Shipping, Aberdeen, Scotland

Street Scene near Railway Station, Aberdeen

Street Scene, Aberdeen, Scotland

Kirkyard of St Nicholas, Aberdeen

Below is an image of the premises belonging to the Shore Porters Society. This company is one of the world’s oldest, dating from 1498.

Premises of Shore Porters Society, Aberdeen, Scotland

Drum Castle, N.E.Scotland

 Tonight, the focus of my blog post is Drum Castle which is located about 10 miles west of Aberdeen in N.E. Scotland.

Like many Scottish castles this building was not designed and completed as a single project but evolved over a period of some 500 years with  additions and embellishments reflecting the wealth of the owners and changes in fashions and technology.

Drum Castle was held by the Irvine family for a period of some 700 years, from 1323 to 1976.

The Irvines obtained the Castle and wealth through long-standing military support of the Scottish Kings from Robert the Bruce in the 14th century through to the Stewarts in the 16th century. However, loyalty to the Crown worked in reverse in the 17th and 18th centuries resulting in the castle being ransacked and plundered in 1644 and 1645. After the Battle of Culloden (1746) the Irvings lost their wealth but managed to keep the Castle.

The 70ft high tower (to the right in above image) is the earliest part of the Castle and represents one of the three oldest surviving such tower-houses in Scotland.Image immediately below shows the tower interior with walls 12 feet thick. The impressive Renaissance mansion was added by the 9th Laird in 1619.

Drum Castle is now managed by the National Trust for Scotland and is open to the public. continue reading…