EuroVelo: North Sea Cycle Route - part Shetland to Dover

The Castle of Mey (formerly Barrogill Castle) is located in Caithness , on the north coast of Scotland, about 6 miles (10 km) west of John o' Groats .

The lands of Mey belonged to the Bishops of Caithness. The Castle of Mey was built between 1566 and 1572, possibly on the site of an earlier fortification, by George Sinclair, 4th Earl of Caithness. Originally a Z-plan tower house of three storeys, it had a projecting wing at the south-east, and a square tower at the north-west. The Castle passed to George Sinclair's younger son William, founder of the Sinclairs of Mey, although it later became the seat of the Earls. The Castle's name was changed to Barrogill, and the structure was extended several times, in the 17th and 18th centuries, and again in 1821 when Tudor Gothic style alterations were made, to designs by William Burn. Barrogill passed out of the Sinclair family in 1889, on the death of the 15th Earl, and in 1929 it was purchased by Captain FB Imbert-Terry. The Castle was used as an officers' rest home during the Second World War, and in 1950 the estate farms were sold off.

Royal residence

Barrogill Castle was in a semi-derelict state when, in 1952, the estate was purchased by Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, the widow of King George VI, who had died earlier in the year. The Queen Mother set about restoring the castle for use as a holiday home, removing some of the 19th-century additions, and reinstating the Castle's original name. She regularly visited it in August and October from 1955 until her death in March 2002; the last visit was in October 2001.

In July 1996, The Queen Mother made the property, the policies, and the farm over to the Queen Elizabeth Castle of Mey Trust, which has opened the castle and garden to the public regularly since her death. It is now open. The Trust opened a new Visitor Centre in early 2007, and the visitor numbers for that year topped 29,000.

Opening times for The Castle and Gardens of Mey will be from 17th May to 30th September inclusive, but will be closed from 29th July to 9th August inclusive.

The castle is open every day in season from 10.20 am until last admission at 4.00 pm.

The visitor centre, tearoom, shop, grounds and animal centre are open every day during the normal season from 10.00 am until 5.00 pm.

Inverness is a city at the heart of the Scottish Highlands and the principal centre for administration and commerce. It is the most northerly city in the British Isles.

Advertised as "the Gateway to the Highlands" by the local authority, and long regarded as the capital of the Highlands, Inverness is the centre for commerce and industry in the Scottish Highlands, with continuing new investment in traditional industries and new hi-tech industries. It is also said to be one of the fastest growing cities in Europe.

See

• ⊙Inverness Castle. At the end of the western pedestrian zone. It is a relatively new castle built in 1847 to replace a medieval castle blown up by the Jacobites. It houses the Sheriff Court and cannot be seen as a visitor (you at least should try to never see it from the inside).  
• ⊙Inverness Museum & Art Gallery, Castle Wynd (base of Inverness Castle),  ☎ +44 1463 237114. The museum has a collection of Pictish stones and wildlife dioramas, as well as historic weapons. Underwent a major refurbishment in 2006, and now contains many artefacts on loan from the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh.  
• ⊙Old High Church, Church Street. Oldest Church in Inverness, the 'Town Church' of the city. Historic Tour each Friday at 11.30am, June to August. Sunday services at 11.15am, Prayers for Peace and Justice every Friday at 1.05pm, and occasional evening services in the summer, with guest preachers, as advertised.  
• ⊙Ship Space, 16 Clachnaharry Road, IV3 8QH,  ☎ +44 1463 716839. 10AM - 3PM daily. An interactive and evolving museum in Inverness with nautical artefacts & large ships: e.g. 1:10 scale Titanic, Buckie drifter, RNLI lifeboat & more. Free entry.  
• ⊙Inverness Botanic Gardens (formerly: Floral Hall and Gardens), Bught Lane (next to the sports centre),  ☎ +44 1463 713553. Glasshouse and gardens, with a range of exotic plants, plus a cafe. Free.
• ⊙Inverness Cathedral (St Andrew’s Cathedral). Scottish Episcopal (Anglican) cathedral, built in 1869.  (updated Jul 2015)

Brodie Castle is a well-preserved Z plan castle located about 3 ¹⁄₂ miles (5.5 kilometres) west of Forres , in Moray, Scotland. The castle is a Category A listed building and the grounds are included in the Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes in Scotland.

The Brodie family

The original Z-plan castle was built in 1567 by Clan Brodie but was destroyed by fire in 1645 by Lewis Gordon of Clan Gordon, the 3rd Marquis of Huntly. In 1824, architect William Burn was commissioned to convert it into a large mansion house in the Scots Baronial style, but these additions were never completed and were later remodelled by James Wylson (c. 1845).

The Brodie family called the castle home until the early 21st century. It is widely accepted that the Brodies have been associated with the land on which the castle is built since around 1160, when it is believed that King Malcolm IV gave the land to the family.

Ninian Brodie of Brodie (The Brodie of Brodie), the castle's last resident member of the family, died in 2003. The former family wing is being^{[when? ]} prepared for holiday letting.

The castle today

Architecturally, the castle has a very well-preserved 16th-century central keep with two 5-storey towers on opposing corners. The interior of the castle is also well preserved, containing fine antique furniture, oriental artifacts and painted ceilings, largely dating from the 17th–19th centuries.

Today the castle and surrounding policies, including a national daffodil collection, are owned by the National Trust for Scotland and are open to the public to visit throughout the year. The castle may be hired for weddings and indoor or outdoor events. An ancient Pictish monument known as Rodney's Stone can be seen in the castle grounds.

Castle
Guided tours only
2 Jan–29 Feb 2020, Thurs–Sun, 10.00–16.00
1 Mar–19 Mar, daily, 10.00–17.00
20 Mar–31 Dec, closed.

Playful Garden
1 Aug–15 Sep, Wed–Sun, 10.00–17.00
16 Sep–25 Oct, Wed–Sun, 10.00–16.00
26 Oct–31 Dec, Sat & Sun, 10.00–16.00

Garden and grounds
6 Jul–31 Dec, open daily

Elgin is the county town of Moray in north-east Scotland, best known for its ruined cathedral which made it a "city". Together with nearby Lossiemouth it's the service town for two nearby RAF bases.

The "Elgin Marbles" have only the most tenuous connection with this place. It was the 7th Earl of Elgin who in the early 19th century removed (or looted or legally purchased or rescued from destruction, take your pick) many friezes and sculptures from the Acropolis in Athens - they're now in the British Museum. But the family residences were in Fife and elsewhere, and none of the Earls of Elgin lived here.

See

• ⊙Elgin Cathedral. Apr - Sep: Daily, 9.30am to 5.30pm; Oct - Mar: Daily 10am to 4pm. Ruins of a cathedral dating from 1224. £5.50. (updated Nov 2016)
• ⊙Elgin Museum, 1 High Street, IV30 1EQ, ☎ +44 1343 543675. Apr - Oct: Mon - Fri 10am to 5pm, Sat 11am - 4pm. Contains local history, archaeology, fossils and watercolours. donation.  
• ⊙Spynie Palace (2 miles north of Elgin). Apr - Sep: Daily 9:30 - 17:30. Bishop's palace from the late 12th century. (updated Nov 2016)

Do

• ⊙The Glen Moray Distillery, Bruceland Road (West of town, Soth of the A96), ☎ +44 1343 550900. Tours Mon - Fri 9:30 , 11:00 , 12:30 , 14:00 and 15:30 Sat (May-Sep) 10:30 , 12:00 , 13:30 and 15:00. Whisky distillery just west of town. £5 (Inc, Tour and Tasting).