Crathes Castle, Garden & Estate
Things to do
GUIDED TOURS
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.
SCHOOL VISITS
We welcome school visits at Crathes Castle, Garden & Estate. For more information, please see our Learning pages.
Play Area
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.
NATURE SPOTTING
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.
OUTDOORS ACTIVITIES
Explore the north-east’s only Go Ape tree-top adventure.
HIRE A VENUE
The enchanting castle, beautiful walled garden, expansive grounds and a new dedicated event space (The Horsemill) make a versatile venue for weddings, meetings, team-building events and corporate entertaining.
Walks here
East trail
- Difficulty
- Moderate – a fairly flat, unsurfaced woodland walk (some steps)
- Time
- 1–1¼ hours
- Distance
- 1½ miles (2.5km)
- Facilities
- Shop; toilets; café; car park; picnic areas
The Coy Burn trail
- Difficulty
- Moderate – a fairly flat, unsurfaced woodland walk
- Time
- 1–1¾ hours
- Distance
- 1¾ miles (3km)
- Facilities
- Shop; toilets; café; car park; picnic areas
The North trail
- Difficulty
- Moderate – a fairly flat, unsurfaced woodland walk
- Time
- 45–60 mins
- Distance
- 1¼ miles (2km)
- Facilities
- Shop; toilets; café; car park; picnic areas
The Ley way
- Difficulty
- Moderate – a fairly flat, unsurfaced woodland walk (some steps)
- Time
- 2–3 hours
- Distance
- 4 miles (6.5km)
- Facilities
- Shop; toilets; café; car park; picnic areas
The West trail
- Difficulty
- Moderate – a fairly flat, unsurfaced woodland walk but with a steep section
- Time
- 30–45 mins
- Distance
- ¾ mile (1km)
- Facilities
- Shop; toilets; café; car park; picnic areas
Viewpoint trail
- Difficulty
- Easy – a flat, surfaced woodland walk
- Time
- 15–30 mins
- Distance
- ¼ mile (400m)
- Facilities
- Shop; toilets; café; car park; picnic areas
To find walks at National Trust for Scotland places, download the Trust Trails app.
