Grounds and woodland

Today the castle grounds are very much one with the surrounding landscape, informal and naturalistic. Woodland cloaks the hills to the north and west, while fields stretch eastwards.

In previous centuries there were more formally laid out gardens at Craigievar: an estate plan from the late 18th century shows a series of enclosed gardens, orchards and artful woodland 'wilderness' surrounding the castle. In the 19th century these were replaced, as the grounds were transformed into a sweeping parkland landscape. An arboretum was established on the lawns around the castle, pieces of which remain today: you can still admire the two large European silver firs (Abies alba), a monkey puzzle (Araucaria araucana), and four Wellingtonias (Sequoiadendron giganteum).

Please follow the arrows to walk the trail around the castle and discover more about its history and the Pink Again conservation project we are currently undertaking.

There is also a Woodland Trail, which you can download the map and information for below. The Hill Trail is now open, but please take care as there is still damage from the forestry work to clear the damage from Storm Arwen in November 2021.