Methlick

Methlick is a village in Aberdeenshire about 20 miles north of Aberdeen; its main attraction is Haddo House. Methlick derives from Gaelic Maothulach, which may mean "vale of honey". It's not a census district but its population is probably little changed from the 1851 count, of 1737.

Methlick is of one a handful of similarly-sized villages in a triangle of farmland between the coast and the cross-country route to Moray and Inverness, so they're all off the main track. These villages include Turriff, Fyvie, Tarves, Pitmedden and Oldmeldrum. The area lacks public transport, but has visitor facilities and a scattering of historic and prehistoric sights. The south tip of the triangle is commuterland for Aberdeen, where once-small villages grew in the late 20th century into the dormitory towns of Ellon and Inverurie.

Get in

Gight Castle: Byron's mother sold it to pay off Mad Jack's gambling debts

The facilities of communication are pretty good: there are commutation roads leading to New Deer, Fyvie, Ellon, Meldrum, and Tarves; and a mail-gig runs daily between Methlick and Aberdeen. - Topographical Dictionary of Scotland, 1851

The village is at the junction of B9005 from Ellon to Fyvie and B9170 from Inverurie to New Deer.

Stagecoach North Scotland Bus 290 / 291 runs from Aberdeen Union Square via Udny to Methlick, M-Sa every couple of hours, four buses Sunday, 75 min. A few of these continue, as Bus 292 to Ellon or as Bus 293 to Fyvie.

Bus 35 runs from Aberdeen via Dyce to Oldmeldrum, Fyvie, Turiff, Macduff, Banff, Portsoy, Buckie, Cullen and Elgin. They're every 30 min M-Sa and hourly Sunday from Aberdeen to Banff, where alternate buses turn back.

The nearest railway station is Inverurie, with trains every couple of hours on the Aberdeen-Inverness line, so bike-on-train would work.

Get around

There once was a troop of Irish Dragoons / came marching down through Fyvie-oh

- trad Scottish folk song; but lacking a reliable internet travel guide, the excursion did not end well.

It's a scattered district, you need a car or bike.

See

• 1 Haddo House, Methlick AB41 7EQ (Two miles south-east of Methlick), ☏ +44 1651 851440. Apr-Feb: F-M 11:30AM-3:30PM. Sumptuous stately home, built in Palladian style from 1732; the interior was made-over with Victoriana in 1880. There's a large art collection, and an elaborate porcelain dinner service from His Nibs' stint as Governor-General for Canada. There's also an arts venue with theatre and concert hall. House and grounds passed to the National Trust in 1979. Adult £14.50, conc £11, NT / NTS free. (updated Feb 2021)
• 2 Gight Castle (Formartine Castle), Ellon AB41 7HY (access via B9005). Crumbling ruin of an L-plan tower house built in 1570. In Georgian times it was owned by Catherine Gordon Byron, the mother of Lord Byron the poet, but she sold it in 1787 the year before his birth. She had to sell to pay off the gambling debts of Byron's father "Mad Jack", while she and her infant went to live in meagre lodgings in Aberdeen. Jack died aged 34 in Spain so the title "Lord Byron" bypassed him and went to the son. Gight's new owner was the 3rd Earl of Aberdeen then his son Lord Haddo who died aged 27 in 1791, whereupon the castle fell derelict. Not much to see and the ruin is unsafe, you come for the bosky setting. (updated Feb 2021)
• 3 Fyvie Castle, Fyvie AB53 8JS. Jun-Aug: daily 11AM-5PM; Sep Oct: Th-Su 11AM-5PM. The first structure was from 1211, and each later owning family added a tower: Preston 1400-ish, Meldrum, Seton 1599 (the present entrance), Gordon 1778 and Leith 1890. The overall style is Scottish Baronial. Within (by guided tour) there's a grand wheel staircase and portrait collection. A charming walled garden grows Scottish fruit and vegetables. Adult £14.50, conc £11, NT / NTS free. (updated Feb 2021)
• 4 Tarves is a small village where the Victorian schoolhouse has been made into a heritage project, open Apr-Oct: Th-Su 1-4:30PM. The parish church graveyard has an ornate medieval tomb. There's accommodation in Tarves, see Sleep.
• 5 Prop of Ythsie is a brick tower built in 1861/2 to commemorate the 4th Earl of Aberdeen, Lord Haddo, UK Prime Minister 1852-55.
• 6 Tolquhon Castle, Tarves AB41 7LP, ☏ +44 1651 851 286. Apr-Sep: F-W 9:30AM-5:30PM. Impressive ruin of a castle built between 1584 and 1589. It's pronounced "Toh-hon". The original Preston Tower was built in the 15th century and defensive, but it was incorporated into this Renaissance building intended for comfort and show. The owners were busted by the collapse of the Darien scheme in 1718 and the castle fell derelict. Adult £6, conc £4.80, child £3.60. (updated Feb 2021)
• Tolquhon Gallery is a commercial art gallery next to the castle, free entry. It's open M Tu F Sa 11AM-5PM.
• 7 Pitmedden Garden, Pitmedden AB41 7PD. Jun-Aug: daily 10AM-5PM; Sep Oct: Th-Su 10:30AM-4PM. Recreation of a Scottish Renaissance walled garden with striking geometric designs. The original was destroyed by fire in 1818 but recreated by NTS. Admission includes the Museum of Farming Life, a collection of old implements. Adult £9, conc £7, NT / NTS free. (updated Feb 2021)
• 8 Udny Castle is a tower house of 14th / 15th century. A mansion house was tacked on in the 1870s but demolished in the 1960s. No tours but you can admire the exterior.
• 9 Loanhead of Daviot Stone Circle is on the ridge just north of Daviot village off A920. It's virtually intact, and Bronze Age though some pottery found at the site is early Neolithic.

Do

Gatehouse of Tolquhon Castle

• Golf: there are courses at Ellon, Oldmeldrum, Meldrum House and Turriff.
• Braes of Gight is one of several hiking trails. Start from B9005 and follow the Ythan riverbank upstream for views of Gight Castle, eventually looping back on the other bank.
• Oldmeldrum Highland Gathering is held on the village Pleasure Park, with the next probably on Sa 14 June 2025, tbc.

Buy

Farmers, dinnae trust to luck, always use our Turriff muck - marketing Aberdeenshire-style in the 1950s

• Ellon has the largest store hereabouts, Aldi open 8AM-10PM, Su 9AM-7PM.
• Oldmeldrum Co-op is open daily 6AM-10PM.
• Pitmedden Co-op is open daily 6AM-10PM.
• Methlick Costcutter is open M-Sa 8AM-7PM, Su 10AM-1PM.
• Tarves Spar is open daily 7AM-10PM.
• Turriff has Tesco open M-Sa 7AM-11PM, Su 8AM-10PM and several other stores.

Eat

There's a dress code for dinner at Haddo House

• Morris's Hotel & Restaurant, Market Square, Oldmeldrum AB51 0DS, ☏ +44 1651 872251. Restaurant seating 70, trad Scottish fare, and Jock's Bar is open from 11AM to late. They also have two double rooms. Mains £10-20. (updated Feb 2021)
• Oldmeldrum also has Meldrum Kitchen (Chinese obviously, W-M 4-1).
• Ellon has East & West, Nosheen Tandoori, and fast-food takeaways.

Drink

• Ellon has The Bridge Bar and The Tolbooth.
• Pitmedden has The Craft Bar.
• Glen Garioch Distillery in Oldmeldrum distills whisky and offers tours.

Sleep

• 1 Ythan Valley Campsite is off B9005 in Ythanbank.
• 2 Ythan View Hotel, Main Rd Methlick AB41 7DS, ☏ +44 1651 806235. Small 3-star with restaurant. B&B double £60. (updated Jan 2019)
• Aberdeen Arms Hotel, The Square, Tarves AB41 7GX, ☏ +44 1651 851214. 4 bedroom hotel and pub. (updated Dec 2020)
• 3 The Redgarth, Kirk Brae, Oldmeldrum AB51 0DJ, ☏ +44 1651 872353. Pleasant hotel built 1928 near the golf course, good food. B&B double £120. (updated Feb 2021)
• Ellon further east has Buchan Hotel, New Inn and Station Hotel.

Connect

As of Oct 2021, in Methlick you can get 4G with EE and 3G with Three and Vodafone, but there's no signal from O2.

Go next

• Northwest to Huntly for sumptuous Leith Hall and the elegant shell of Huntly Castle.
• North to the coast for the fishing ports of Banff, Portsoy, Gardenstown and Fraserburgh
• East to Peterhead, with a notorious prison and a fine coastline.
• South to the big city attractions of Aberdeen.