Pitsligo and New Slains

After entertaining guests for two weeks, Greg and I decided to take a little weekend trip alone and explore the northern part of Aberdeenshire, about 2 or so hours north of us, to see the ruins of Pitsligo and New Slains castles.

Built by the Frasers of Philorth in 1424, Pitsligo castle is heavily dilapidated. Some of the original structure remains, covered by grassy moss, walls are held up with scaffolding and braces and the ancient masonry is crumbling. While in a state of disarray, you can still see faint details of a keep that once was. Looted and destroyed by Flemish troops in the 1800's, Pitsligo was left to crumble away until the 1990's when efforts to preserve the historical site took place.

New Slains castle, a short drive from Pitsligo, while still in ruins is in much, much better condition. It sits cliffside, overlooking the North Sea and Cruden Bay, and offers visitors epic views.

Speaking of Cruden Bay, Bram Stoker would frequently visit this area in the 1890’s to early 1900’s. It’s been speculated that Bram got his inspiration for Dracula’s Castle from New Slains. Both New Slains and the fictional Dracula’s Castle both have octagonal halls, leading scholars to believe that the former was the source material for the latter.

The famed Octagonal Room

Fun fact, the castle was not left to ruin entirely by neglect, the owner actually removed the roof to avoid having to pay taxes on the structure. Currently the owners want to demolish and develop apartments on the land but all planning has been halted as of now, thankfully!

While both Pitsligo and New Slains are both in varying stages of decay and ruin, it just goes to show that beauty can be found even in those places that are neglected and left behind. Don’t forget to like and subscribe to our blog and check out our gallery page, linked above, and of course, click any of the images below to be taken to the full photo album. Until next time!