Castle of Mey News

• From 10 to 13 April, The Castle and Gardens of Mey were again open for the Easter holiday weekend. The first ever 'Family Fun Day' took place on Easter Sunday and was great fun for all ages, with almost 200 children turning out for the Easter egg hunt, painted egg competition and egg rolling. Fortunately, the weather was kind and record crowds visited the castle over the weekend.
  510 tickets were sold this year, compared with 123 in 2008 which was the first time the castle had opened for Easter and the weather was appalling with Easter falling in March and was about as early as it could be.
• The MG Owners Spring Saunter took them to the Castle for a visit on 26 April.
• On 27 April, ten top London chefs, working in association with Mey Selections, visited the castle during a two-day visit to Caithness.
• Also on 27 April, castle staff were put through their paces by a team from Scottish Casualties Network to ensure they could cope efficiently if faced with an emergency situation.
• The Castle and Gardens of Mey, together with the Visitor Centre shop and tearoom and the Animal Centre, opened for the season on 1 May.
• The first Mey 10KM race took place on 10 May. The 250 entries for the event were filled at a very early date and a waiting list of would-be participants was set up. Three members of the castle staff took part and acquitted themselves very satisfactorily. Fortunately the weather was perfect and with an enormous turnout of supporters and onlookers, it was a great success.
• On 19 May The Queen Elizabeth Castle of Mey Trust launched its 'buy a brick' Turret Appeal at the annual Patrons' party in the Goring Hotel, London. The turret is being built in the South East corner of the walled garden, and will provide visitors with spectacular views out over the garden towards the Pentland Firth and the Orkneys. It will be finished in time for the 2010 season.
• 14 June saw a visit from the Caithness Vintage Car club celebrating their 40th Anniversary.
• The castle gardens were open on 8 July, 16 July and 15 August, in support of the Scotland's Garden Scheme.
• A special opportunity for visitors to tour the Castle of Mey gardens with the Head Gardener, Grant Napier, was a new innovation this year. The first tour was on 16 July, followed by three more on 23 July and 20, 27 August.
• 30 July the Castle and Gardens closed for the visit of His Royal Highness The Prince Charles Duke of Rothesay.
• The first wedding to take place at the Castle of Mey was on 31 July. The ceremony was conducted in the Visitor Centre and was a most appropriate venue for the bride, who has strong family links with the castle. Her late father was born in the gardener s cottage and the last wedding to take place at the castle was that of her great, great aunt in 1904.
• The Mey Games took place on 8 August and were well attended. The weather was good this year and His Royal Highness Prince Charles attended as usual.
• The Castle & Gardens of Mey re-opened on 12 August.
• 29 August 90 Patrons and Friends of the Castle of Mey attended the annual drinks party at the Castle of Mey
• On 12 September, the second Bat Hunt 'Midge Munchers', so named because bat's just love the renowned Scottish midgies for tea!, dusk time daunder took place in the castle grounds.
• Sheep from Longoe farm were featured in a new British wool campaign.
• In view of the impending visit of TRex, the castle hosted a dinosaur hunt on 20 September. Models were hidden in and around the castle and visitors had a great time searching for them.
• On 27 September a larger than life size model TRex that had travelled from Lands End to John O'Groats visited the castle with Lloyd Scott, the well-known charity fundraiser. He presented a prize to the winner of the previous week's dinosaur hunt at the castle. Unfortunately, the weather wasn't kind
• 27 October saw a visit to the castle by the Moderator of the Church of Scotland during a week-long visit to Caithness.
• The Visitor Centre shop and tearoom opened for 'Gifts for Christmas' on 28/29 November, 5/6 and 12/13 December.
• On 28 November, Canisbay playgroup, the Rainbow Nursery, performed their Christmas Nativity play and sang carols for the visitors in the Visitor Centre and on 6 December, for the second year, Scallywags, the Crossroads school nursery group, sang carols.

Once again, throughout the season, coaches, cruise ships and trains helped to boost visitor numbers and we are always pleased to accommodate special requests from large parties in season and also in April and October.

Overall, it was a good season with some very praiseworthy reports. Visitor numbers at 28,098 were 4% up on 2008, a very satisfactory result in the present economic climate.

We very much hope that the castle attractions and the professional and welcoming staff will make 2010 an even more successful year.