With any week in Scotland, it’s almost a given that at least one day will be a total write off due to rain. On our most recent trip to the Cairngorms, the Monday was forecast heavy rain all day and on waking up that proved to be entirely accurate. Seeking an alternative to sitting in all day watching the rain, Sam found a corner of Aberdeenshire about an hour away where the rain wasn’t due to start until after lunch. We’d take it!
The Peel Ring of Lumphanan
Our first stop was the Peel Ring of Lumphanan. This grassy earthwork was once the site of a timber castle, which has long since been lost to time. According to the National Trust for Scotland, the owner of the castle received Edward I here in 1296, to submit to his rule. There’s not much to see here other than a short information board and the earthwork itself, but it did at least give us something to do for 15 minutes. Dogs on leads can join you at the site, which is easily accessed from a small car park.
After a short stroll around the earthworks, we hopped back in the car and carried on to Craigievar Castle.
Craigievar Castle
Delightfully pink, this 16th century castle is purported to be part of the inspiration behind Disney’s Cinderella castle, and it certainly has a bit of a fairytale feel to it.
Dogs aren’t allowed inside (as expected), and we had a mooch around admiring the castle from the outside. As well as the charming pink hue, Craigievar has a series of individually carved stone ornaments at the top of the original building, marking where the new princess-style towers were stuck on at a later date. The addition is so well done that at first we didn’t realise it wasn’t intentionally built like this in the first place!
There’s not masses to do outside here: there’s a kiosk selling snacks and drinks, plus a short forest trail (which we didn’t do as we didn’t want to get caught in the rain). The website hinted at gardens, but I don’t think they really qualify: you’ll certainly be disappointed if you’re expecting anything on the scale of some other National Trust gardens like Crook Hall or Inverewe. If you want to explore the interior of the castle, it’s £17 per adult (September 2025 prices) or free for National Trust/National Trust for Scotland members.
Entry is as part of a guided tour only: tours run regularly throughout the day and last for about an hour. We debated popping the dogs into the car and waiting 20 minutes to join the next tour, but hunger won out – it was rapidly approaching lunch time and we had our eyes on a farm shop about half an hour away for some food. And, philistines that we are, the inside of one historic house looks very much like the inside of other historic houses (don’t come for me).
Finzean Estate Farm Shop
Historically, I am generally rubbish at finding places for lunch (either they’re closed or so basic they feel like a food van operating out of a building). Sam on the other hand has a knack for finding the loveliest places, which serve tasty food and have a great atmosphere. Therefore, I was more than happy to relinquish responsibility for finding somewhere for lunch to Sam.
He chose Finzean Farm Shop, an off the beaten track hidden gem near Banchory. We prefer places not in a town or village which have a secure car park so that we can leave the dogs in the car – having a reactive dog in a busy cafe is not an enjoyable or relaxing experience for us or for Coal. The dogs are always much happier snoozing in the car (weather dependent – we obviously wouldn’t do this in warm weather). Plus, dogs are only allowed at outside tables at Finzean, and we were not taking our chances with the rain holding off!
The ambience in the cafe is lovely: cheerful and busy, but not over crowded. As well as serving food there’s a vast array of gifts to choose from and the walls are covered with original paintings from Scottish artists (available to purchase). I must admit to being sorely tempted by some seascapes of the Outer Hebrides, but alas having not made it up there yet felt £345 was a bit much to splash on a painting.
Lunch arrived quickly and was delicious. I had a brie, bacon and cranberry panini, while Sam had a pork and apple burger from the specials menu. We managed to resist the cakes (mainly by not looking in the first place), but did cave in and get some mince from the farm shop for tea later in the week. Thank you so much to those who have bought me a coffee, which helps us be able to support local businesses on our travels!
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