Explore the Award-Winning Castle Cafe, Gardens, Grounds, Pond, and Trails
Plenty of Inspiration on the Castle Grounds!
The castle grounds are filled with so much to see and do. Inspiration for creating, meditating, etc., is endless. You may explore the grounds and enjoy reading, discovering plant and wildlife, exploring the trails, or painting a few artworks en Plein air, inspired by the gardens, trails, wildlife, and pond. Explore on your own in the early morning, or enjoy the sunsets in the late evenings while taking a stroll in the woodlands, pond and green walk, and the blooming gardens. Enjoy partaking in an afternoon or mid-morning delicatessen in the Brodie Castle Cafe.
Image Credits and Information: National Trust of Scotland
The Trails & Gardens
Get out and about on the estate by taking one of Brodie Castle’s woodland walks to see red squirrels, or meander around the pond looking at the variety of wildfowl and dragonflies. The Brodie estate is home to the National Daffodil Collection, where you can find out more about Ian Brodie, the 24th laird, and his passion for daffodils. In spring you can see over 100 species of daffodil in the Playful Garden and around the estate.
The Wildlife
The wildlife residing on the grounds at Brodie castle is abundant. Deer, badgers, red squirrels, greylag and whooper swans and geese, goosander and goldeneye duck, various owls and birds of prey along with many other types of birds, and animals, bees and butterflies. Take a closer look at the wildlife while on your walks. The trails are a wonderful opportunity for sketching wildlife.
The Pond
Brodie Castle Pond contains a Floating Ecosystem. The islands are a permanent art and ecology installation, installed in 2016 as part of the Findhorn Bay Arts Festival
Local school groups, each, planted an island, which is both visually engaging and provides habitat for local wildlife above and below the water. This is a popular spot for watching ducks and swans. This year ducklings were hatched on the bird habitat platforms on the islands and 11 ducklings were spotted.
The Playful Garden
The Playful Garden is a magical garden experience for all to enjoy and home to a fascinating menagerie of characters inspired by the castle’s quirky and colorful history. It’s inspired by the stories of the castle and the Brodie family. The garden is filled with quirky characters, and areas for play, performance, and discovery of all ages. A completely unique experience, visitors can meet Brodie Bunny, Scotland’s largest rabbit sculpture at a mighty 6.5 meters long. There are unicorns, orang-utans, and toads to meet, as well as a mini Brodie Castle to clamber on. The twinkling sounds of the Duo Cupla, Large Babel Drum, Papilio, Rainbow Cavatina with Music Book, and Tutti, ring out over the garden, creating a special atmosphere.
The Cafe
The cafe at Brodie Castle serves an assortment of food that is lovingly cooked daily to a very high standard ....the scones, cakes, soup and everything else are simply delightful. It‘s an old-fashioned place with a lovely atmosphere and staff who really seem to love the Castle and what they do. There's a nice gift shop next door to browse in too.
The Rodney Stone
A short distance beyond the entrance gates to Brodie Castle, the drive to it passes the Rodney Stone. This is a Pictish symbol stone which makes an imposing gate guardian for the castle. The Rodney Stone stands just under 2 metres high by just over 1 wide and is 13cm thick. Its front or west face carries a beautifully carved cross filled with nice decorative knotwork, while the quadrants carry relatively low relief carvings of intertwined beasts. From the castle drive you see the rear, eastern face of the stone. This carries three large sets of carvings. Uppermost is a very large pair of decorated fish monsters, facing inwards towards one another.