| Love thy neighbour, as the saying goes. Few take the saying quite so literally as the Bell and Leiper families, who loved each other so much they built a castle together! The most elaborate Z-plan castle in Scotland, and one of the grandest Castles of Mar, Castle Fraser was built between 1575 and 1636 by the 6th laird, Michael Fraser, was the supreme work of the two great families of master masons. The castle belongs to the same period of native architectural achievement as two neighbouring castles, Crathes and Craigievar, both owned by the Scottish National Trust. One of its most evocative rooms is the strikingly simple Great Hall. The castle contains many Fraser family portraits, including one by Raeburn, and fine 18th and 19th century carpets, curtains and bed hangings. One of the 17th-century ‘laigh biggins’ now contains a shop selling exclusive gifts. The historic walled garden features shrubs, flowers, wall-trained fruit and vegetables. The estate contains a flight pond, mixed woodland and open farmland, with two waymarked walks giving magnificent views of the local hills.
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