Crathes Castle, Garden & Estate

Free garden tours with our garden guides are available from April to October, every Wednesday at 2pm.

The castle is open for guided tours during weekends over the winter. Guided tours take place at 11am, 12 noon, 1pm, 2pm and 3pm.

We’re delighted that we’ve been awarded the Coach Friendly status by CPT.

We offer the following for group bookings:

• Preferential rate for groups of 10+ (currently £9pp)
• A warm welcome from our Visitor Services Supervisor upon arrival
• Designated coach bays for easy parking, with free parking for pre-booked coaches
• A new ‘Grab & Go’ facility in the courtyard café – no need to queue for lunch
• Indoor and outdoor dining areas
• A refreshment voucher for all drivers, redeemable at the courtyard café

For further information or to make a booking, please contact our Travel Trade team on +44 (0) 131 458 0204 or email traveltrade@nts.org.uk

We welcome school visits at Crathes Castle, Garden & Estate. For more information, please see our Learning pages.

Wild Wood Adventure Play has something for everyone – explore, play and let your imagination run wild! Surrounded by towering trees on this wildlife-rich estate, you can conquer the heights of the Green Lady’s Tower, scramble up the rock face challenge and zoom between the trees on the zip wire.

Opening times:

• November–March: Saturday and Sunday, 10.30am–3.30pm
• April–October, daily, 10.30am–5pm

We reserve the right to close the play area due to unforeseen circumstances.

Please note: the play area behind the courtyard café is currently closed due to repair work.

Take a walk along the Coy Burn - keep an eye out here for buzzards, herons and kingfishers. They’ve probably been at home on the estate for at least as long as the castle walls.

Don’t miss our new wildlife trails and wildlife viewing hide.

Explore the north-east’s only Go Ape tree-top adventure.

The enchanting castle, beautiful walled garden, expansive grounds and a dedicated event space (the Horsemill) make a versatile venue for weddings, meetings, team-building events and corporate entertaining. Please see our venue hire pages for more information.