Perched in the rolling Aberdeenshire countryside near Banchory, Crathes Castle feels like a living page from a Highland tale. Built as a sturdy tower house in the late 16th century and long associated with the Burnett family, the castle keeps a quiet dignity: stepped gables, turreted corners and narrow windows that catch the low Scottish light. Around it, a restored walled garden and ancient yew hedges spill colour and scent into the estate, while broad lawns and mature woodlands invite slow, wandering walks.
This travel poster celebrates that particular blend of history and gentle drama. The composition focuses on the castle at golden hour, when sandstone walls warm to apricot and shadow falls long across the lawn. In the distance, layered hills tumble into soft blues and mauves, suggesting the wider Aberdeenshire landscape - a quietly wild region of river valleys, forests and open sky. The overall mood is romantic without being theatrical: the sort of calm, expectant stillness you feel before setting off along a tree-lined avenue.
History is present but not heavy-handed. Visitors are reminded of carved plaster ceilings and panelled rooms, of lived-in corners and small, well-tended luxuries rather than royal pomp. The walled garden, with its trimmed yews and seasonal planting, brings an intimate human scale to the scene: summer roses and autumn asters, cool herb beds and a network of paths that encourage exploration. Birdsong and the distant rush of river water are suggested as much by atmosphere as by image; the poster invites you to imagine those sounds and step into the scene.
Designed as a modern homage to classic travel art, the poster uses simplified shapes and a restrained palette to evoke nostalgia and possibility.
18+, T&C apply, Credit subject to status.Learn more
