Fyvie Loch # 1 - Boathouse Traditional Cache

Welcome to my Loch Fyvie geocache series which takes you on a 2 km / 1.25 mile walk around the beautiful grounds and loch.  Each cache in the series is an object of some description and you will need to keep note of every one in order to help access the Super Bonus Cache.  The Castle grounds & gardens are open daily from 9am to sunset and there is plenty of parking available on site at the pay and display car park.

This cache is a _ _ _ _ _ n g / _ o _ .

PLEASE BE VERY CAREFUL WHEN RETRIEVING THE CACHE SO NOT TO DAMAGE THE MECHANISM. WIND SLOWLY AND THE CONTAINER WILL COME DOWN. BE SURE TO REPLACE EXACTLY AS FOUND TO GIVE THE NEXT CACHER THE SAME EXPERIENCE.

Boathouse - The 19th-century boathouse is a popular spot for feeding the resident wildfowl. Please don’t give the birds white bread as it can cause them health problems. Wholemeal bread, oats, seeds and unsalted nuts are more suitable.  Bring your own pen and a pair of tweezers as you may need them to extract some of the logs.

Walk through a landscape shaped by 800 years of history and discover the rich wealth of wildlife that flourishes in Fyvie’s loch and woodlands. Fyvie’s 18th-century owners created Fyvie Loch in what was marshland protecting the castle. This picturesque landscape feature now covers a large part of the estate’s 49 hectares and supports large numbers of wildfowl. Swans, coots, mallards and moorhens are joined in the winter by greylag geese, tufted ducks and goldeneyes. Ospreys occasionally visit to fish in the loch.

The charm of Fyvie ranges from its 13th-century origins to its stunning Edwardian interiors. The castle is home to a superb collection of arms, armour and paintings, including works by Raeburn and Gainsborough.

Stroll around the picturesque loch, or visit the restored 1903 racquet court and bowling alley.

Ghosts, legends and folklore are all woven into the tapestry of Fyvie Castle’s 800-year history. Tradition claims that the castle’s five successive families – Preston, Meldrum, Seton, Gordon and Forbes-Leith – each added a tower to this magnificent Scottish Baronial fortress.

You can see their influences today among the medieval stones and the lavish Edwardian interiors, and imagine what castle life must have been like for the families and their royal guests – among them Robert the Bruce, Edward I and Charles I.

Thanks to the National Trust and particularly the staff at Fyvie Castle for being so supportive and allowing me to place this series of caches.