 Brodie Castle is in Moray, around 4 miles from Forres. It has:
Getting there from Forres The castle is on National Cycle Route 1. This means you can get to the castle avoiding busy roads. The highlight of the route is crossing the bridge over the River Findhorn.  Crossing the River Findhorn on National Cycle Route 1 This location feels like somewhere else to me. I think of a massive country like America or Russia where rivers are enormous and sometimes dry up. There is an epic quality to the bridge, like one of those railway bridges across the Mississippi or the Volga. But you don't need to travel that far to experience such adventure. You can find it right here, in Scotland.  The bridge over the River Findhorn, near Forres The route then heads into farming country. The roads are quiet and the fields are lush.  On the road to Brodie Castle A castle or a home? Brodie is a mixture of architectural styles from the sixteenth, seventeenth and nineteenth centuries. Like many castles in Scotland it began as a fortress, a place to keep the occupants safe from attack. As time went on and Scotland became less dangerous the later additions to the building were about comfort. Brodie became more of a home and less of a castle. I think Brodie has a lived-in feel. There's a bit of wear and tear on show and this makes it feel quite homely. It is not as ostentatious as some of Scotland's other castles.  Brodie Castle's tower The Dentist As you walk through the rooms of Brodie you will notice this mixture of castle and home. There is a spiral staircase that has steps of different sizes and depths. It was deliberately designed this way, to trip up any invaders who managed to make it inside. And then you have the many elegant rooms hung with Dutch paintings. The 22nd Laird of Brodie did the grand tour of Europe and came back with an impressive art collection. One of the paintings is called 'The Dentist'. It features a dentist holding a recently pulled tooth with tweezers. In the background there is a man holding the side of his face in pain. A visit inside the castle is by guided tour. The friendly and enthusiastic guides will tell you everything there is to know about the Brodie family. They will point out many of the fascinating objects in this home. The plaster ceiling in the dining room is incredible. It features thistles, flowers, a unicorn and more.  The library is my favourite room. There are over 6000 volumes in here, stored in beautiful bookcases. I spotted a chair that coverts into a step ladder so that readers can get to the books on the high shelves. Gardening books feature quite heavily in the collection and that brings us to the subject of daffodils. Daffodils The 24th laird was a bit of a daffodil obsessive. In 1899 he grew 49 varieties in the gardens and by 1943 he had produced more than 400 varieties. This is why Brodie is now home to the National Daffodil Collection. When I visited it was not the right time of year to see the yellow blooms, but the gardens are full of labels with the names of the varieties. Some of these names are just wonderful, like 'Drumnabreeze', 'Moonspell' and 'Swansdown'.
Even if the daffodils are not out there is still plenty to enjoy in the gardens. Come for the woodland walks to spot red squirrels. There's also the pond. That's what the Brodie's called it, but I think it is more of a loch. It is quite big and surrounded by woodland. If you come here with children they will love the Playful Garden. It's got lots of fun stuff to interact with, including Scotland's biggest bunny sculpture- Brodie the Bunny!  Bluebells in the woods of Brodie Castle  Walks around the pond at Brodie Castle The elephant stone Another large animal that can be seen at Brodie is an elephant. It is carved on a Pictish standing stone, located near the entrance gates to the estate. Perhaps it is not the most accurate depiction of an elephant, but I love it. I like the trunk, the tail and the knot shapes in the body.  The elephant carving on the Rodney Stone at Brodie Castle All good castles feature a tea room and Brodie is no exception. I recommend the shortbread. It is satisfyingly thick and crunchy. Getting here It is easy to reach Brodie using train and bicycle. It's around 30 minutes by train from Inverness to Forres. The castle is on National Cycle Route One and about 4 miles from Forres. The route from Forres, described at the start of this blog, features a spectacular bridge. See Brodie Castle and Cawdor Castle in one day
These 2 castles are about 12 miles apart. You can use National Cycle Route One to travel between them.
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AuthorMy name is Colin Baird and I want to see all of Scotland by bicycle. Categories
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