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Accessibility

Fyvie Castle accessibility guide

This magnificent fortress in the heart of Aberdeenshire is a sterling example of Scottish Baronial architecture. Inside, the rooms are filled with antiquities, armour and lavish oil paintings. Out in the grounds the grandeur continues, with a picturesque lake and an unusual glass-roofed racquets court.

On this page:

Welcome

Contact for accessibility enquiries: Sarah Hawkins, Visitor Services Manager

Telephone: 01651 891266

Email: fyvie@nts.org.uk

The paths around the estate are mostly level. For the lake walk, there are 4 stone steps up to the Rhymer’s Garden but these can be bypassed by using the second gate further up to the right or via a steep and curved desire path around the steps. Chuckies [small stones] in the car park and around the castle create an uneven, bumpy surface for those with wheelchairs or prams.

At a glance

There is level access to:

  • The castle entrance
  • The tearoom
  • The walled garden
  • The American garden
A view of Fyvie Castle from across the lawn, set against a bright blue sky. Tall leafy trees stand either side. A wide gravel path, with lawn either side, runs close to the walls of Fyvie Castle.

Getting here

Fyvie Castle, Garden & Estate
Fyvie
Turriff
Aberdeenshire
AB53 8JS

Fyvie Castle lies off the A947, 8 miles south-east of Turriff and 25 miles north-west of Aberdeen.

By car

From Aberdeen follow signs out of the city north towards Dyce.
Continue onto the A947, and follow the road until you reach Fyvie.
Sat-navs may try to direct you to the castle by the Gate House, north of the village. This road is not suitable – please ignore the sat-nav and turn right into the village and follow signs directing you to the castle.

By public transport

The 35 bus service runs regularly from Aberdeen bus station and takes just over 1 hour to get to Fyvie. On Monday–Friday, there should be a bus roughly every hour; the timetable may differ slightly at the weekend.
You will need to walk about half a mile to Fyvie Castle from the bus stop.

Parking

There is a £4 parking charge (free for National Trust for Scotland members). The parking meters accept cash only, but donations can be made at reception or in the shop for parking.

Accessible Blue Badge parking

There is a dedicated Blue Badge parking spot a few metres from the castle’s front door. Drive past the main car park and continue up towards the castle. Take the track to the right that twists up a gentle slope towards the castle. Go around the central urn and to the right, park adjacent to the building where you will see the Blue Badge parking sign.

There is a second Blue Badge parking spot* at the opposite side of the building next to the tearoom. You can find this spot by taking the road up from the main car park then to the left.

*This space is currently unavailable due to repair work being carried out on the Racquets Court.

Busy periods
If the Blue Badge bays are occupied, we will always try to find a suitable alternative. We are unfortunately not able to reserve a parking space ahead of time.
If you require assistance from a staff member to find a suitable space, please call 01651 891266.

The main car park at Fyvie Castle is covered with compressed gravel and has several rows for cars to park, with strips of grass and small trees in between. A silver car is parked right beside the walls of Fyvie Castle on a gravel-like surface. A small green sign indicates the space is for disabled parking.

Dogs

Assistance dogs are welcome throughout the castle and grounds. On the wider estate, dogs are welcome but must be kept on leads and under close control. Areas of the estate have grazing livestock and nesting birds.

Mobile signal

There is generally good mobile reception at the main car park and up beside the castle. In an emergency between 9am–5pm, please ring 01651 891266. If you receive no answer or the emergency occurs outside of these times, please call 999.

Signal is limited inside the castle, but staff and volunteers will always be close by. All staff carry radios to raise the alarm in the event of an emergency.

what3words: ///talking.recapture.supply

A medium-sized black and white spaniel stands on the lawn in front of Fyvie Castle. She has a black harness and collar with two silver tags.

Facilities

Toilets

Toilets can be found inside the castle beside the tearoom and in the walled garden. The easiest access from outside is through the tearoom; alternative routes (with a few steps) are available from other entrances. The tearoom toilets are not accessible from the outside after the tearoom’s last orders (3.30pm) as the doors are closed at this time. Outwith tearoom opening hours, visitors are directed to the walled garden toilets.

  • The ladies’ toilets can be accessed through a 90cm wide door. Inside are 2 cubicles, both of which have doors approximately 65cm wide.
  • Men’s facilities are slightly further down the corridor. Passing through two doors (both 85cm wide), inside are urinals and a single cubicle (80cm wide).
  • There are accessible toilets (not Changing Places toilets) and baby changing facilities in the walled garden. The door is 90cm wide.

Shop

The shop can be found at the base of the Seton Tower at the south side of the castle.

  • The shop is about 70 metres around the building from the main entrance, on a chuckie-covered path.
  • There is a large yett door, which is 165cm wide.
  • There are 2 small steps up to the door (5cm and 9cm in height).
  • There is another door into the shop with a width of 90cm.
  • The counter height is 85cm.
  • The till point does not have an induction loop.

Staff are available to assist with any objects that are too high or heavy to reach, and can provide price information for items.

An arched entrance to Fyvie Castle, in the bottom of one of the towers. A carved stone plaque with a coat of arms is above the door. Two A boards stand on the paving slabs outside, advertising the National Trust for Scotland. In front of the paving slabs is a large area of gravel. A view inside the Fyvie Castle shop, showing tall shelving units filled with soft toys, scarves, preserves and other souvenirs. A clothing rail holds a range of t-shirts. On the left is an old wooden counter and an ice cream freezer beside it.

Tearoom

The tearoom is located at the base of the Leith Tower on the west side of the castle.

  • The tearoom is about 150 metres (past the shop) around the castle from the main entrance.
  • Enter the tearoom through a 90cm door into a narrow corridor, where there is another door that is 97cm wide.
  • Alternative entry to the tearoom is possible from within the castle. However, there are a few steps through the castle between the main entrance and tearoom.
  • The counter height is 90cm.
  • The till point does not have an induction loop.
  • Outside seating is also available.
Looking down a long narrow corridor with a lino floor towards a sign suspended from the ceiling that says tearoom and toilets are to the right, through an opening. The tearoom in Fyvie Castle, with neatly set out wooden tables and chairs, each seating four people. The tables are covered in oil cloths. In the foreground is the counter with plates of biscuits and cakes laid out. The room is a former kitchen, and is decorated with old pots and pans on the blue walls. Three round picnic benches with integrated seats and a green picnic umbrella stand in a row on a gravel patio area. Tall trees stand beyond the patio.

Getting around the castle

The castle is accessed via the main entrance, just a few metres away from the Blue Badge parking space over chuckies.

  • The front door has a width of 130cm.
  • There are no steps into the entrance hall and to the ticket desk.
  • The counter height is 80cm.
  • The till point does not have an induction loop.
  • Staff are available to help with price enquiries.
  • There is no wheelchair access beyond the entrance hall due to the spiral staircase.
  • The wheel stair has large, well-spaced steps. There is no handrail.
An arched entrance to Fyvie Castle, in the bottom of one of the towers. A carved stone plaque with a coat of arms is above the door. An A board stands on the paving slabs outside, advertising the National Trust for Scotland. A metal urn-like object stands on the other side of the door. On the wall either side of the door are metal light holders. A close-up of the wide spiral stone staircase in Fyvie Castle. The steps are wide and shallow but there is no handrail. A close-up of a red-carpeted spiral staircase in Fyvie Castle. The steps are narrow and shallow and a wooden banister runs along the outside wall. A close-up of 6 narrow, red-carpeted stairs that lead from a lower room up into the entrance hall of Fyvie Castle. A long floral curtain hangs to the left of the bottom stair.

Getting around the walled garden

The walled garden is adjacent to the main car park, approximately 250 metres down the path from the castle (through the American Garden).

  • The gateway to the garden is 90cm wide.
  • Paths in the garden are relatively even and well-spaced.
A fairly narrow, decorative iron gate is set into a stone wall. The gate has three panels with various tree designs carved into them and Fyvie Castle Garden along the edges. A green sign in the middle says: Please shut the gate. A wide gravel path weaves through a walled garden with lawn and pretty flower beds either side.

Getting around the estate

  • The circular walk around Fyvie Lake is around 1¼ miles (2km) long.
  • The track is generally even, although is very narrow in places with the occasional obstacles of stones, mud and tree roots.
  • The second half of the walk (on the castle side of the lake) runs parallel to the main driveway.
  • The driveway is smooth tarmac with speed bumps and passing laybys spaced evenly along the way.
A view of Fyvie lake taken from shore level on a cold day where the edges have slightly frozen. Ducks stand on the stony beach. Woodland surrounds the lake. A woodland path, which is mostly stony but has raised tree roots across parts of it. An interpretation board stands on the right, just by the side of the path. 6 uneven stone steps lead from a gravelly path towards a wooden gate. Quite a lot of vegetation grows beside and in between the steps.

Guide last updated: August 2024

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