The ruins of Kildrummy Castle lie about 7 miles west of Alford in Aberdeenshire. On our trip there in August we tried to visit it on the first day but it was late by that time and the castle was closed. I was able to duck into the car park and take a photo though.

Kildrummy Castle from car park:-

We altered our plans slightly for the day we came home so as to try to see the castle properly.

Castle ruins fom the path up from the car park:-

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Judging by this illustration on the information board the castle would have been seriously impressive in its day:-

Model of castle in the shop:-

Interior of castle:-

To right of above:-

To left:-

The area the castle covered was extensive:-

Remains of towers:-

Cut-away illustration of the Snow Tower (most of which has long since collapsed):-

Aboyne is a village in Aberdeenshire.

This shop built in the Art Deco style (albeit in granite which doesn’t actually sit well with Deco I feel) wasn’t a surprise to me. I’d seen it on a TV news report from Aboyne a few months earlier. Most of the rest of the village architecture is standard Scottish rural stuff.

Horizontals and verticals, rule of three in the embellishments above the windows and door:-

Craigievar Castle is about six miles from Alford in Aberdeenshire. The castle is a fairly conventional turreted tower structure but is strikingly pink.

Craigievar Castle from car park:-

Castle from approach road:-

From east:-

Entrance:-

The castle has a barmkin:-

Barmkin with castle in background:-

Doorway in barmkin:-

Barmkin turret with door:-

Alford‘s War Memorial is a Celtic Cross on a tapered square base. It lies off Parkhill Road:-

Great War dedication and names Adam-Harper:-

Great War names, Harper-O’Brien:-

Great War names Ogston-Webster:-

Second World War names:-

Last August we took a trip up north to have a look around Aberdeenshire.

In Alford at the Grampian Transport Museum we came across this Mini in the shape of an orange, an advertising gimmick for Outspan oranges:-

Orange Mini information board:-