点评:A visit to Castle Fraser has become an annual tradition. This is one of my favourite castles, with access to a lot of rooms and so much to see. From the car park (£5 – free for National Trust for Scotland members), you can either walk down the avenue to the castle or come through the path in the woods, past the play area and take in the walled garden.
The entrance to the castle is not in the obvious courtyard but at the front of the castle, reached by passing around the side of the courtyard. Entry is £18.00 for adults, £14.00 for concessions, £1.00 for Young Scot car holders and free for National Trust for Scotland members.
Starting in the Laigh Hall, the tour of the castle is self-guided but there are guides at various rooms in the castle, who are enthusiastic, friendly and happy to fill you in with additional details or answer questions about anything that isn’t on the room information cards. As you go through the castle, you start to climb up, eventually ending up on the roof of the round tower, after around 6 or 7 flights of steep spiral staircases. The views from the roof across the estate to the local hills are fantastic.
There are various things to look out for during the visit like the spy hole, the ‘Laird’s Lug’, the remnants of a priest hole, the Agnus Dei and the large kist in the great hall. My favourite room is Major Smillie’s office, right at the top of the round tower, which is set up with a mix of an estate office and Major Smillie’s military career.
There are loads of things to see and take in. The castle is huge and you realise on leaving that you’ve only seen a fraction of it, however you get into far more rooms than you normally would on a similar tour and I keep picking up on new things with each visit.
On the last couple of visits, one of the guides has filled us in on recent ghost sightings and unexplained phenomenon within the castle, which I always find fascinating.
There is a good café in the courtyard set in a more recent kitchen along with a gift shop and toilets.
If you have time, there are lots of walks to enjoy in the estate and this is a popular spot for dog walkers.
翻译:参观弗雷泽城堡早已成为我们每年的惯例。这是我最喜欢的城堡之一,里面有许多房间可供参观,看点也极多。从停车场(收费5英镑——苏格兰国家信托会会员免费)出发,你可以沿着林荫道走向城堡,也可以穿过树林中的小径,经过游乐区后欣赏到围墙环绕的花园。
城堡的入口并不在显眼的庭院处,而在城堡正面,需要绕到庭院侧面才能到达。成人入场费为18.00英镑,优惠票价为14.00英镑;持有Young Scot卡者可支付1.00英镑入场,而苏格兰国家信托会会员则可免费入场。
参观从Laigh Hall开始,城堡游览为自助式;不过城堡内各展厅均配有讲解员,他们热情友好,乐于为游客补充介绍更多细节,或解答那些未在展厅信息卡上提及的问题。随着参观的深入,您会逐步向高处攀登。经过大约6、7段陡峭的螺旋楼梯后,最终可以到达圆塔的塔顶。从塔顶俯瞰整个庄园及周边的山丘,景色极为壮丽。
参观时有很多值得留意的细节,比如窥视孔、“领主之耳”、 Priest Hole的遗迹、Agnus Dei图案,还有大厅里那个巨大的箱柜。我最喜欢的房间则是位于圆塔顶端的斯米利少校办公室。这座城堡是由地产管理处与斯米利少校的军事生涯共同打造的。
这里有大量值得观赏和探索的地方。城堡规模宏大,离开时你才会意识到自己只参观了其中极小的一部分;不过,与一般的参观路线相比,你能进入的房间数量要多得多。每次来访,我总能发现一些新的东西。
最近几次参观时,有位导游还向我们讲述了城堡里近期出现的鬼魂踪迹以及各种无法解释的奇异现象。这一点总是让我觉得很有趣。
庭院里有一家不错的咖啡馆,旁边是一间新建的厨房,此外还有礼品店和洗手间。
如果时间充裕,可以在庄园里漫步欣赏美景,这里也是养狗人士们常去散步的好地方。