Who doesn’t love exploring an old castle? Whether it’s clambering around ruins or wandering through stately rooms decked out for the 1800s there’s just something about a castle that will pique most people’s interest.
The best kind of castle though, at least to me, is one I really could imagine living in. And to help facilitate my imagination it’s best if the castle actually looks like a home I’d want to live in; the sort where I really have to restrain myself from pulling a book off the shelves, flopping on the sofa, putting my feet up and pouring myself a coffee from the silver pot (there’s always a silver pot).
The Castle of Mey is just such a castle.
I’ve visited the Castle of Mey twice now. Yes, it was so wonderful I had to go back to make sure it really was as I’d remembered it.
It was.
Have I whetted your appetite yet? Do you want to rush straight out your front door and go to experience this homeliest of castles for yourself? I hope you do, but before you rush off I suppose I’d better let you know it does take a bit of planning. The Castle of Mey you see, is right at the very top of Scotland. Right at the top. As in you can’t go any further without ending up in the sea top.
The two times I’ve visited have both been when I’ve been on my way back from Orkney and have driven off the ferry in Scrabster. The Castle of Mey is about 15 miles to the east of Scrabster on the road to John o’Groats. The road forms the top part of the North Coast 500 and so if you’re touring along this route you’ll pass right by it. Otherwise it’s going to take a bit of effort and planning. Seriously, it’s worth it though.
Here’s a bit of history
The castle was built in the 1500s and was modernised in 1819. It was during this modernisation that rooms such as the entrance hall and dining room were added. The castle was passed out of the original family and sold a couple of times before being bought in 1952 by the Queen Mother. She’d spotted it whilst staying with friends nearby. It was in poor condition, but this didn’t put her off and she had it completely renovated and turned it into a lovely home. It was the only home she ever actually owned herself which might be why it looks so homely even though she didn’t get to spend much time here – just three weeks each August and ten days each October.
The Castle is now run by a trust which is why it’s open to the public during the summer months each year. Prince Charles uses it as a retreat and spends a bit of time here each summer too.
Exploring the Castle of Mey
The back of the castle faces the sea and this is the first view of it you get as you park up. I think this side is actually the nicest as it’s all turrets and higgledy piggledy and really quite fairy tale looking.
The front of the castle has more straight lines and a strong square tower.
Entering through the front door you find yourself in an entrance hall that sets the scene for what is to come. Wellies are lined up, bowls are filled with shells collected nearby, the staircase is carpeted in tartan. I started to feel at home straight away. It’s all on a much grander scale than my tiny house and I don’t have tartan carpets, but I do have wellies and bowls of shells.
With my inner royalist feeling delighted to have discovered that I share interior design tastes with the Queen Mum and Prince Charles, I headed up the stairs to see what the main rooms had in store.
The drawing room was the room that did it for me. This was the room that made me feel I have to make an annual pilgrimage to this castle just like the Queen Mum did and Prince Charles now does. This was the room where I could have just curled up on the sofa and never left. This was the room where I could imagine entertaining friends, chatting about old times and pouring coffee (from a silver pot) whilst watching the flames flicker as a peat fire spreads its warmth across the room.
If I’d had any doubts that royal interior design tastes might not have been as closely aligned to my own as I’d originally thought, those doubts would have been laid to rest in this room. As well as beautiful objects, artworks and expensive antiques there was also plenty of kitsch and a plethora of tacky souvenirs.
I’m still working on the expensive antiques and artworks side of things, but I have kitsch by the bucketful. As I write this, I’m looking at a cheap little replica of the Manneken Pis that sits on my desk. So I guess I tick the tacky souvenirs box too. Like me, the Queen Mother believed in keeping and displaying all the silly little things she’d acquired or been given over the years. In the drawing room there is even a cuddly toy Loch Ness Monster sitting high up near the ceiling, atop a full-wall antique Flemish tapestry. This was apparently placed there as a joke and when the Queen Mum spotted it she insisted it stayed there.
In the corner of the room is a drinks table which has cans of strong lager included among the various bottles of spirits. I’d always considered cans of strong lager to be a bit, er, common and so never buy them. But now I know I’ve been wrong all these years and actually they are the height of poshness.
The Queen Mother’s drink of choice however, was not a can of strong lager but a gin and Dubonnet.
Gin and what? you may be thinking. That’s what I was thinking and I wasn’t the only one going by the look on the faces of the other visitors as the room guide mentioned this to us.
Apparently Dubonnet is a type of fortified red wine. I assumed it would be one of the old-fashioned drinks that you never see anymore, but found that it’s stocked in most supermarkets. I bought a bottle for about nine quid in my local Asda so I could try out this royal cocktail for myself. I was a bit hesitant about adding fortified wine to my gin in case I ruined a good gin, but it’s actually quite nice. If you want to try making this cocktail for yourself you can find lots of videos on YouTube.
The room guide explained the origins of many of the items in the room and told stories about the Queen Mother and her guests. I’m not going to give them all away here as I really think you should visit for yourself and hear them in situ.
One story I will share however, is how the Queen Mother would choose books for her house guests and leave them by their beds. Asking them how they were enjoying the book would then be a conversation opener. Of course this would only work if the guest had actually looked at the book! Another conversation opener for a guest who was maybe feeling intimidated to be in the presence of royalty was to ask if they had spotted Nessie. If you were paying attention earlier in this post you’ll know exactly where Nessie is hiding!
There are guides in many of the rooms as you wander through the castle and they all have stories to tell and things to point out. There are paintings, photographs and more bits of kitsch that not only add to the homeliness of the castle but show that the Queen Mother had a sense of fun too.
For example, in the library there is a stuffed stag’s head on the wall. Quite a usual thing to find in a Scottish castle you might be thinking. You’d be right of course and the Queen Mum also knew this was a kind of expected thing to have. But she didn’t have one. So instead of a real one, the one hanging in the library is a stuffed cuddly toy version.
The tour through the interior of the castle incorporates the dining room which is laid out ready for a fine dinner; the equerry’s room with its beautiful desk and even more beautiful view across the sea to Orkney; the library which was used as the Queen Mother’s private sitting room in her later years and the Queen Mother’s original private sitting room complete with old fashioned telly and Fawlty Towers videos.
You also get to peer into several bedrooms, including the Queen Mum’s. The bedrooms are smaller and simpler than might be expected and look quite dated. Of course they are of their time and when they were newly fitted out the bedspread, frilly lampshades and dressing table with its legs hidden by a net curtain would have all looked quite normal and tasteful.
The kitchen, butler’s pantry and a cleaning cupboard are included in the tour too, so you can also get to see life ‘below stairs’. The kitchen was very modern when it was first designed and had lots of mod cons. Like a fridge! The fridge is an original 1950’s Frigidaire and is still in working order.
Once you leave the interior of the castle there are the grounds to explore. There is a formal walled garden, woodland and an animal area with different breeds of poultry, rabbits and sheep. The gardens really are lovely and worth spending some time in especially if it’s a nice day.
In case you’re wondering why all my photos are of the outside, it’s because it’s not allowed to take photos inside. So you’ll just have to take my word for it about how lovely it is. Or you could go and see it for yourself of course!
So do you agree with me that the Castle of Mey is Scotland’s homeliest castle or have you found one even more homely? Have you ever walked into a place and never wanted to leave? What’s your favourite castle? Leave your thoughts and recommendations in the comments below.
Enjoyed this? Read these:
Like it? Pin it
Share this:
I really loved this blog! Very informative.
Thanks Nathan, glad you enjoyed it!