Gight Castle may be one of the lesser known castles of Aberdeenshire but it has a rich, if somewhat bleak, history with many of its owners dying prematurely. Built in the 15th century by the Gordon family, it was the ancestral home of Lord Byron. A ghostly piper is said to haunt the ruins. The nearby Hagberry Pot in the River Ythan is said to be bottomless and full of treasure!
Originally posted 2018.
The quines took a walk. We started in Methlick and strolled through the Braes of Gight woods, across fields and along roads. This was the long way to do it: there is a car park relatively near to the castle. First view:
The castle was surrounded by barbed wire and there were ‘enter at your own risk’ signs. In we went:
Great windows:
We were careful not to wake Sleeping Beauty. Or the ghostly piper.
I was most impressed by this brave little tree:
Then, taking the circular route, we headed off down to the river and tried to work out which bit was the Hagberry Pot. Nowhere looked very bottomless or a good hiding place for jewels, but this seemed the most likely site by the bridge:
The 7th Laird of Gight threw his jewels in there when the castle was sacked by the Covenanters. The poor diver who was sent down to retrieve them floated back up to the top in four pieces. There is a more involved version of this story here, featuring the devil. We did not go in.
The walk back along the river was pleasant, if a bit boggy, with glimpses of the Castle up on the hill.
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My Debut Novel
Set against the beautiful backdrop of the Aberdeenshire countryside, THE MERMAID AND THE BEAR blends an often overlooked period of history, the Scottish witchcraft accusations, in particular the 1597 Aberdeen witchcraft panic, with a love story. Published by GWL Publishing, 2019.
It has a pink castle.
And a stone circle.
And six chapters of medieval Christmas.
Paperback and kindle:
Great photos. Sounds like they know how to weave a story or two.
Yes, great stories associated with this castle!
Looks a beautiful ruin. Thanks for sharing. I need to see more of Aberdeenshire.
It is a nice one to visit, might get a bit overgrown in summer.
I am so in love with your blog, your photos and your country. Must return soon!
Glad you like all these things Julia 😀
So pleased that you ‘entered at your own risk’ – fantastic post!! Thanks so much for sharing!
Those signs always feel like a challenge!
Thank you for the photos and stories. Wonderful links, too!
Glad you enjoyed, Petrea 🙂
Thanks, Ailish. Lovely to see Gight Castle. You and your quines are more intrepid than me! This is my mother’s country, she was born near Barthol Chapel and her parents are buried at Methlick.
PS: Predictive text corrected quines to quinces. It’s a lovely image.
We are naughty wee quines sometimes! My autocorrect can’t choose between whines or quinces. Quinces is better 😀
BTW: finding your book on the Jacobite women very useful and informative just now.
Amazing pics – especially loved the one of the ‘brave little tree’. First time hearing about quines – interesting!
I love that brave little tree too 🙂
🙂
Lived vicariously through your words and photos. What a spectacular place.
Great one to visit.
Abandoned homes, castles and other buildings whisper to me. The walls speak to me and my mind runs amuck in imagination. Thanks for the tour
They are full of stories!
Yes they are