Storm Arwen (26 November 2021): The garden and estate was closed following the devastation caused by Storm Arwen, followed by Storm Barra. The trails are now mostly safe (28 January 2022) – check on fb or the website to get latest details.
It is best to check on the website for opening hours.
My name is Susan Bennett. Officially, I’m a Crathes volunteer garden guide with the National Trust for Scotland. I keep returning to Crathes because of the plants and their stories; also for a bit of craic with the gardeners and volunteers. During the season (before Covid) I’m often at Crathes on a Wednesday – giving a garden tour at 2pm. My research on the garden has led to a book: The Gardens and Landscape of Crathes Castle: a four hundred year story. Essentially, these notes are a continuation of the book; the stories keep on coming.
Here is an introduction to the gardeners who keep the whole show on the road: James Hannaford (Head Gardener), Andrew Morrison (First Gardener), Joanna Shaw (Propagator), David Wood (Groundsman/Estate Worker), Michael Flett, Stephen Holtom, Emily Strachan (apprentice), Kevin Thomson (part-time, mostly in the grounds). Volunteers come in to help throughout the year. Cecilia Rogers has recently retired but continues as a volunteer.
Crathes is world famous for its great diversity of plants and the quality of its design. It is situated on Royal Deeside in North-East Scotland.
Owned by the Burnett family until the twentieth century, Crathes was given to the National Trust for Scotland in 1951.
With thanks to Niamh O’Driscoll and Steve Ingle for help with setting up the website.
Notes from Crathes 