What are the opening hours?

Monday 10am - 4pm Tuesday 10am - 4pm Wednesday 10am - 4pm Thursday 10am - 4pm Friday 10am - 4pm Saturday 10am - 4pm Sunday 10am - 4pm

Crathes Castle, Garden & Estate NTS

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United Kingdom
Banchory, Scotland
Crathes Castle, Garden & Estate NTS

ABOUT THIS PLACE
Painted ceilings, family portraits, turreted castle, walled sculpted gardens

Opening Times:

Estate: Open-weather permitting

Castle / Cafe1702 / Walled Garden / Shop : Thursday to Sunday 10am - 5pm

CLOSED TUESDAY - WEDNESDAY

Wild Wood Open Weekends and School Holidays (weather permitting)

Alternative routes to Crathes Castle, Garden & Estate:
1) A90 – South of Aberdeen
a. From Stonehaven, connect with the A957 Slug Road
b. 13.3 miles, turn left onto A93
c. 0.1 miles, turn right into Crathes Estate
2) Aberdeen City South – South Deeside Route
a. From Bridge of Dee (AB10 7JP), connect with B9077 South Deeside Road
b. 12.6 miles, turn right onto A957 Slug Road
c. 0.5 miles, turn left onto A93
d. 0.1 miles, turn right into Crathes Estate
3) Aberdeen City West – Garlogie Route
a. From North Anderson Drive, connect with A944 Lang Stract
b. 8.5 miles, turn left onto B9125
c. 2 miles, turn left onto Coupers Road
d. 3.5 miles, turn right onto A93
e. 2.4 miles, turn left into Crathes Estate

15/09/2026

🎓 Our colleagues at Drum Castle are looking for Primary Teacher applicants for their 2027 Timesliders programme.

14/09/2026

🏃 Nearly 1,000 runners of all ages and abilities came together for a brilliant PIM Running Festival at Crathes Castle. 🌞

At its heart, the PIM Running Festival is about bringing people together to run and have fun in a stunning setting. Judging by the enormous smiles, this year was one of the best yet!

A huge thank you to the runners and supporters who came out in the September sunshine, creating a fantastic atmosphere from the children’s 1.5km race through to the 5km and half marathon.

Congratulations to everyone who took part, and to the winners across each distance and category. Whether you were racing for a place, chasing a personal goal or simply enjoying the experience with friends and family, thank you for making the day what it was.

See the full results at results.perfecttimingscotland.co.uk/Results.aspx?CId=20065&RId=9132

Special thanks to pim-ltd.com/ for their generous support for a seventh year, and to all the volunteers, marshals, staff and helpers from across Aberdeenshire who make it possible.

We must also say sorry again to some of the 5km runners who were sent the wrong way at one crossover and covered extra distance. Thank you for taking the mistake in such good humour. We’ll create a new and improved 5km route for next year’s festival.

Every entry helps the National Trust for Scotland care for and share special places like Crathes Castle. Thank you for running with us, supporting our charity and being part of such a memorable day.

We can't wait to welcome you all again next year.

Edit: We’ll email participants a link to the full event photo gallery next week, once all the photographs have been sorted.

09/09/2026

🍂 Bring the generations together at Crathes this autumn. 🧡
Plan your visit at nts.org.uk/visit/places/crathes-castle

Explore the castle at your own pace, where renowned painted ceilings, grand rooms and twisting turret stairs reveal centuries of Burnett family stories.

🛻🏃‍♀️ At weekends, Wild Wood Adventure Play gives younger visitors plenty of space to let off steam, while the exciting new Crathes Mini-Offroader Experience offers the chance to take a spin on our purpose-built woodland track.

🌳 Take time out to lose yourself amongst the ancient yews in the internationally renowned walled garden, ablaze with vibrant autumn colours.

For those looking for something more active, enjoy the crunch of leaves as you explore 13km of paths across nine woodland nature trails, including the newly refurbished Coy Burn Boardwalk.

Cosy up afterwards in Café 1702 with a home-baked treat and a famous Extreme Hot Chocolate.

🧡 From quiet catch-ups to family days out, there’s time and space for everyone to explore at Crathes.

🕙 The castle, walled garden and Café 1702 are open daily.
Wild Wood and Mini-Offroaders are available at weekends until 1 November, and daily during the October school holidays.

👉 Please check opening times and updates on the website before travelling. You can also find information and pre-bookings for the Crathes Mini-Offroader Experience.

08/09/2026

🎃 👻 Things are about to get spooky at Crathes Castle… 👻🎃

Our Halloween Trail is back this October, and we’re already getting ready for three days of frightfully good family fun around the castle grounds! 🦇🍂

Expect spooky surprises, clues to uncover and plenty of Halloween fun along the way. The perfect October half-term family day out in Aberdeenshire. And we’ve got more spooky details to reveal soon…👀

📅 Friday 23rd - Sunday 25th October

🎟️ Tickets are on sale now! Book your Halloween adventure here: 👉 https://brnw.ch/21x5wWI

02/09/2026

🏃 Only 2 weeks to go until the PIM Running Festival at Crathes Castle!

We’re getting busy behind the scenes preparing for the big day, and there’s still time to sign up and join us at the start line!

Whether you’re taking on the 1.5K, 5K or Half Marathon, it’s set to be a brilliant day of running in the beautiful surroundings of Crathes Castle.

Not planning to race? We’d also love to hear from anyone who would like to join our volunteer team and help us make the event happen. It’s a great way to be part of the atmosphere, support the National Trust for Scotland and cheer on our runners.

Enter the races here 👉 https://brnw.ch/21x5o5i

Or send us a message if you’d like to volunteer!

31/08/2026

🌿❗Don't miss out! Last chance to join our Head Gardener Tour!❗🌿

Our final Head Gardener Tour of the year takes place this Wednesday, and there are just a few spaces left to join us!

Our annual tours are always incredibly popular, offering a rare opportunity to hear the stories, history and expert knowledge behind one of Aberdeenshire’s most loved gardens - all while seeing it through the eyes of the person who cares for it every day.

📅 Wednesday 2nd September
⏰ 1.00pm

A few places are still available, but once they're gone, that's it for 2026!

🎟️ Book your place here: https://brnw.ch/21x5k64

30/08/2026

🍂 A weekend of Scottish craft and flavour at Crathes Castle 🍂

The Exclusively Highlandss Autumn Art, Craft, Food & Drink Market returns on Saturday 5th and Sunday 6th September, bringing together a wonderful selection of independent Scottish makers and producers.

Explore handmade gifts, jewellery, ceramics, textiles, homeware, candles and skincare inside the historic Horsemill and across the lawn.

There will also be plenty of tempting food and drink, from cakes and preserves to street food from Highland Food Shack and El
Dorado Mexican Food.

It’s a lovely opportunity to meet the makers, support small Scottish businesses and enjoy an autumn day out at Crathes Castle.

📅 Sat 5th & Sun 6th September
🕙 10am - 4pm
🎟 Entry £2.50 | Under 16s go free

26/08/2026

🌿5 spaces have just become available! 🌿

Following the rescheduling of our Head Gardener Tour to Wednesday 2nd September, we now have 5 spaces up for grabs!

Join Crathes Castle Head Gardener, James Hannaford, for a special tour of our award-winning walled garden, packed with expert insight, garden history and a look at what goes into caring for this beautiful space.

These spaces are limited, so grab yours while you can!

🎟️ Book here: https://brnw.ch/21x5dPC

25/08/2026

⚠️ We will be undertaking some forestry operations within the Woodlands at Crathes in the next few months.

These works are part of the ongoing restructuring operations of the woodlands for future resilience and biodiversity. It is also still a response to the major storms of a few years ago.

Please do follow diversions or trail closures - as large machinery will be moving on site.

23/08/2026

🏃‍♀️ There’s still time to join us! 🏃‍♂️

Our PIM Running Festival is coming up on Saturday 12th September, and there’s still time to join!

Choose from our Half Marathon, 5K or 1.5K Kids Race and come along for a brilliant day at Crathes Castle. Whether it’s your first race or your next challenge, we’d love to have you there 💙

Not running this year? Why not join our race team instead? 🙌

We’re also looking for volunteers to help us on the day. It’s a great chance to get some event experience, give your time to support a charity, meet new people, or even earn volunteering badges and hours for your club, group or organisation.

🏃 Enter the races: https://brnw.ch/21x4rws
�🙋 Volunteer with us: email [email protected]

Address

Banchory
AB315QJ

Opening Hours

Monday	10am - 4pm
Tuesday	10am - 4pm
Wednesday	10am - 4pm
Thursday	10am - 4pm
Friday	10am - 4pm
Saturday	10am - 4pm
Sunday	10am - 4pm

Telephone

+441330844525

Website

http://www.nts.org.uk/property/crathes-castle-garden-and-estate/

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