Hatton Castle, Angus

The castle overlooks the wooded Den of Newtyle, and its views extend across Strathmore and include Ben Lawers and Schiehallion as well as the Angus and Glenshee hills.

Hatton Castle gradually became encrusted by ivy and a home to pigeons and jackdaws, until it was sold by the Kinpurnie Estate for reconstruction.

Hatton Castle is now a family home, and the present owners have continued the restoration, aided by specialist castle-restorer Gordon Matthew of Midmar.

House Concerts are held, on a non-commercial basis, for a wide variety of artists, memorably including, for example, The Poozies, Barbaby Brown and John Kenny (Sardinian triple pipes and carnyx), Park Stickney (jazz harp), Philip Higham (Bach cello suites and more), Cathy Fraser from Australia, Fiddlelore from New Zealand, Douglas Lawrence, Gregor Borland and Sandy Brechin, Jarlath Henderson, Man's Ruin a variety of line-ups involving Ewan McPherson, Eskil Romme with his Danish band Himmerland, and The Chaps, from Dunedin.

Anne-Marie Forsyth, from Auckland, has held annual international Scots Fiddle tuition courses, tutored by Gregor Borland, Dougie Lawrence, Patsy Reid and others.

In 2007, Hatton Castle hosted the first-ever performance in Europe of a Japanese biwa and chant group, supported by the Scottish harp duo Sileas.

American cellist Abby Newton, with David Greenberg, Corrina Kewat, Mairi Campbell, Dave Francis and Scott Petito in her group Ferintosh, recorded her Scottish Traditional album Castles, Kirks and Caves in the Great Hall.

Until the 1990s when the current owner took it on, Hatton Castle stood in a gently sloping field full of sheep, cattle and a gaggle of geese from the adjacent curling pond.

Sir James Cayzer, from the neighbouring Kinpurnie Estate planted standard trees in the surrounding parkland, and a garden is now emerging for Hatton Castle, featuring dry-stane dyking up to three metres high.