Aberdeenshire is home to some of the most fascinating and picturesque sights in the whole of Scotland, from the Royal Lochnagar Distillery to the Aberdeen Maritime Museum.
You may be familiar with many of the castles in the region, including Dunnottar, Craigievar, Fyvie, and Fraser. What you might not know, however, is that one supposedly inspired Bram Stoker's Dracula.
Fans of The Crown on Netflix may also recognise Slains Castle, as it was used as a filming location for the series. In the first season of the Royal drama, the castle stood in for Castle Mey when the Queen Mother visited Scotland.
Slains Castle, also referred to as New Slains Castle to distinguish it from the nearby Old Slains Castle, is a ruined castle found near Cruden Bay. Overlooking the North Sea, the ruin stands close to the edge of a cliff.
The castle was originally constructed sometime around 1597 by the Earl of Erroll, a hereditary title within the Hay family. The Hays were a powerful and influential family in the area, and owned Slains Castle all the way through to sometime in the 1910s, at which point they sold it to Sir John Ellerman.
Ellerman in turn gave the castle up in 1925, at which point its roof was removed. After that, it lay in a state of decay.
Over the years, the castle has undergone significant reconstruction as a result of the degradation it has experienced owing to its unique and harsh location. However, considering its age, the ruin is in remarkably good condition.
Though neglected and covered in vegetation, remnants of the interlinking rooms, corridors, and doorways of the interior remain.
While it is not the most conventionally attractive castle ruin in Scotland, Slains Castle has a gothic charm that is particularly prominent on days when the ruin is blanketed in mist.
This may well have been what inspired Bram Stoker when he was writing Dracula in the 1890s in Cruden Bay.
One room in particular that is believed to have had a significant influence on the Irish author was the octagonal hall, which the octagonal room in Castle Dracula may have been directly based on.
Those wishing to visit the ruin are urged to be extremely careful due to its close proximity to cliff edges. Visitors should stay away from the cliff edges and should not attempt to climb on any part of the castle as its structure may be unstable.
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