Drumin Castle

The area around Glenlivet is steeped in history and Drumin Castle is a fine example of just that.

The four-storey medieval tower house stands on a hill above the point where the River Livet and the River Avon meet. Its elevated position near the River Livet and the River Avon made it the perfect defensible spot. It was built by Alexander Stewart, the Earl of Buchan, also known as the 'Wolf of Badenoch'.

The lands of Strathavon were granted to Alexander Stewart by his father in the early 1370s. Alexander Stewart was known as the 'Wolf of Badenoch' for burning down various places around Forres and Elgin, including Elgin Cathedral, during a fallout with the Bishop of Moray.

He built Drumin Castle along with many other strongholds such as Loch an Eilein Castle, and although he used the castle it was never a permanent residence for the Wolf.

Later the lands of Strathavon would be split, and while Drumin Castle remained part of Strathavon, the nearby Blairfindy Castle would pass the the Earl of Huntly.

Drumin Castle measures 11.3m by 16.2m with walls that are over 2m thick. The most prominent remainder of the castle is the large ground floor vaulted cellar which would have been used for storage.

There are steps up to the first floor as would have been the case on the original tower house, although these are not in the original location for the entrance of the castle.

The north-west wall is the most intact, with a reasonable amount of the north-east wall still remaining.

From what would have been the hall, you can see the further two floors above, the second floor being a further hall and the third floor containing the bed chambers. The corbels that supported the timber floor joists and fragments of the parapet are still visible along with the windows, fireplaces and latrines.

A small extension was made to the south-east of the castle in the 19th-20th centuries, which contained two rooms. It had a sloping roof and was used for storage and had a flue built into the southeast wall for a stove.

When the extension was built, a stairway was created to the first floor which is what is used today. The original stairway and entrance would have been in the part of the tower that has collapsed.

In 1490, Drumin Castle passed from the Stewarts to Alexander Gordon, the 3rd Earl of Huntly.

When the Gordons were defeated at the battle of Corrichie on 28 October 1562, Mary, Queen of Scots ordered that John Grant of Freuchie take Drumin Castle and he took possession on 3 December 1562.

The Stewart family continued to occupy the castle for years, but as tenants. Charles Stewart of Drumin, who died in 1790 is believed to be the last resident of the castle, after which the castle was abandoned and fell into disrepair.

There is still the odd feathered resident in the old fireplaces and crevices.

Around 1818, much of the stone from the castle was used to build the neighbouring farmhouse, which was built for William Mitchell, the Factor (Manager of the Estate and Household) to the Duke of Gordon.

In the late 1990s to early noughties, Historic Environment Scotland along with the Crown Estate stabilised the castle ruins, and on the 14th July 2005 the now-shamed Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor officially opened the castle.

In 2022, the castle underwent further repairs, which I am glad to say have been completed, and the castle is once again open for our visit in September 2025.

Behind the castle is the old kitchen garden and orchard, which is worth a visit and offers a different perspective of the castle.

From the parking area you can either climb the steps through the steep woodlands to the castle, or take the path that contours more gently up the side of the hill. Maybe make it a short circular walk and go up one way and down the other.

Whichever direction you take brings you out at the same spot next to the castle.

Drumin Castle is designated a Scheduled Monument with Historic Environment Scotland.

It is less than 1km to walkto and around the castle.

Follow the above route, or find it on OS Maps.