Craigievar Castle, Aberdeenshire, Scotland

I promised my Polish friends I would Blip at least one Scottish castle this week, so here is Craigievar, a 7 storey tower house, built in the early 17th century by William Forbes. A fine example of Scottish Baronial architecture.

We were the only visitors on the tour, so it felt like a private visit. There is no electricity in the castle, so the guide used a torch to show us some of the features that make this house so special, the ceiling plasterwork is amazing.

The highlight for me was viewing three Raeburn portraits of the family, with the receipt for two of them : sixteen guineas for the two, excluding the framing.

Narrow spiral stairways, turrets, renewed pink limestone harling, beautifully carved wooden beds, yet a family feel. The Forbes-Sempill family lived here for 350 years, before handing the property to the National Trust in the 1960s.

We also visited Crathes Castle today, another tower house and it was difficult to choose a favourite to Blip, so, for the first time, I have put an image into my Blipfolio. The link is here.

As I write at 11 pm, it is snowing here in Aberdeen, and it is lying. 23C here only three days ago, a dramatic change in the weather.

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