Craigston Castle near Turriff in Aberdeenshire can be hired for board meetings, workshops, team building days and private dinners, with rooms for 4 to 22 people seated and up to 28 standing. It is a family home built in 1604 and let to groups with exclusive use of the house, so your team has the castle to itself.
Seminars and company events
The castle presents itself for board meetings, workshops, team building and dinners that celebrate results. Four rooms are used for meetings. The Colonial Room takes 22 people at a long table or in stalls layout. The Morning Room seats 10 at a long table or 6 in stalls. The Queen's Room seats 8, and the Studio Room seats 4 at a round table. The Colonial Room, the Morning Room and the Queen's Room can have a coffee station set up in or beside them.
Small teams can combine work and leisure over three to four days in the house. The hosts can arrange a guided tour of the castle, or a whisky or gin tasting.
Team building is outdoors. The castle offers tailored bushcraft programs in the grounds and in the neighboring Craigston Woods, from half a day to three days. Topics include navigation to a base camp, fire craft, building a campsite, shelters and cooking outdoors. Sessions can be mixed with indoor workshops and presentations in the castle. The aims listed are resilience, team bonding and leadership.
Weddings and receptions
A weddings page appears on the official site. The pages supplied for this listing give no guest numbers for weddings, so ask the castle for capacities and dates before you plan one.
Rooms and capacities
For dinners, the Colonial Room seats 22 at a long table and holds 28 standing. The Morning Room seats 10 to 12 at a long table or at round tables. The Drawing Room and Ante Room are also used as reception rooms. Gourmet dinners with local produce are organized for small groups on request.
Accommodation
Seven bedrooms are named on the site: the Fraser Room, the Kings Room, the Blue Room, the Old Nursery, the White Room, the Holly Room and the Barrack Room. The North Lodge is a separate cottage on the estate. The owners let the castle to families and small groups of up to 12 people for 12 to 13 weeks a year, between May and October, so dates are limited and early requests help. A member of the household is on hand during a stay.
Catering
Dinners are prepared by outside caterers that the castle works with, listed as Italba Dining, ADR HG, Kate's Bespoke Catering and the Fife Arms. The kitchen of the castle is available to guests. Ask which caterer fits your numbers and menu.
History and setting
The Urquhart family built the castle in 1604 and has lived in it since. It is a category A listed building and is thought to belong to the Bell group of Scottish castles. The grounds cover 250 acres of mixed woodland and parkland around a working home farm, with walks from a 20 minute stroll to a longer trek.
The north east coast of Scotland offers more than 70 golf courses, most within 45 minutes by car, as well as the whisky trail and the castle trail.
Getting there
Craigston Castle stands at Turriff, Aberdeenshire, postcode AB53 5PX. Aberdeen is the nearest large city, and a car is the practical way to arrive.
