Crathes Castle, Garden & Estate

Crathes Castle is a harled 16th-century tower house near Banchory in Aberdeenshire, cared for by the National Trust for Scotland, and its walled garden is one of the finest in Scotland. Nearly four acres are enclosed, and ancient topiary hedges of Irish yew, dating from 1702, divide the garden into eight themed areas, each with its own character.

Walking round, gravel paths lead you between the hedges and past specimen plants, mostly in herbaceous borders. Many of the plants are labelled with their botanical names, which is a real help if you want to note something for your own garden. On a higher terraced level within the walls is a grass croquet court. The way the yew hedges create a series of rooms is the big lesson for gardeners: it shows how strong evergreen structure lets you try a different colour scheme or style in each space.

Beyond the walls, the estate covers 590 acres, most of it woodland and fields, so there is plenty of scope for a longer walk after the garden. The castle itself has rare painted ceilings in rooms such as the Chamber of the Muses and the Chamber of Nine Worthies. A visitor centre explains the castle and its surroundings, there is a tea shop and a car park, and the grounds are open throughout the year. Close by is Warren Field, where excavations found pits thought to form the world's oldest known lunar calendar.