Gordon Castle in Fochabers, Moray, is let on exclusive use for corporate events, private parties and weddings. Tower Hall takes up to 250 guests for a ceremony and reception, the Orangery 80 to 90, and the castle itself sleeps up to 18, with 36 more beds in five estate cottages. The Walled Garden restaurant handles private dining separately.
Seminars and company events
The castle is not open for tours or viewings. It is let only for private accommodation and events, so a corporate group has the building to itself. The estate team designs a bespoke itinerary and handles accommodation. The facilities include the light-filled Orangery for receptions, the Octagonal Hall for smaller gatherings, meeting rooms and marquees on the Tower lawn. The site does not list capacities for the meeting rooms or the Octagonal Hall, so organisers should ask for them.
A chef works with the client on a personalised menu and wine selection. Drinks and canapés can be served in the landscaped gardens before dinner indoors. Entertainment can be added: casino evenings, live bands, comedians, magicians, pipers and Highland dancers. The activity list is long: salmon fishing on the River Spey, clay pigeon shooting, archery, mini Highland Games, white water rafting, canyoning, kayaking, helicopter tours, whisky tours and tastings, and a Johnstons of Elgin mill visit.
Weddings and receptions
Weddings run from intimate parties of 40 to 250 guests, each tailored with the events team. In Scotland a ceremony can be held wherever the couple and the celebrant agree. Indoors, the Orangery seats up to 90 for a ceremony and the castle Drawing Room up to 40. Outdoors, the castle lawn is used in the warmer months. Tower Hall, a restored building beside the castle with a glass-domed roof, takes up to 250 guests for both ceremony and reception. Three churches stand nearby in Fochabers: Bellie Kirk, St Mary's and the castle's own Gordon Chapel.
Rooms and capacities
Tower Hall: up to 250, ceremony and reception, glass-domed roof.
Orangery: up to 90 for a ceremony (the home page says 80 guests), light-filled.
Drawing Room: up to 40 for a ceremony.
Octagonal Hall and meeting rooms: capacities not stated.
Marquees on the Tower lawn for larger celebrations.
Accommodation
The castle sleeps up to 18 on exclusive use. Five estate cottages (Kennels Lodge, Lakeside Cottage, Courtyard Cottage, Garden Cottage and Quarry Gardens Lodge) each sleep between two and fourteen and add 36 beds in total, which suits a group of about 50 staying on the estate.
Catering
Catering is in-house, with the chef building menus and wine lists to the client's tastes. The Walled Garden restaurant on the estate serves locally sourced food and takes private dining and events through its own manager.
History and setting
Gordon Castle stands in Fochabers on the River Spey. The Walled Garden, one of the oldest and largest kitchen gardens in Britain, covers eight acres and is open to visitors year-round. The castle's own Gordon Chapel (Episcopalian) stands in the centre of Fochabers.
Getting there
Fochabers lies in Moray, in northeast Scotland. The site gives no travel times, so organisers should check access with the events team.
