Category - Events

Barbecues, music, and community connection at our Picnic and Praise event

Every year during the warmer summer months we welcome our local community and parish church to Carlowrie Castle for a family-friendly day in the sunshine. Our Picnic and Praise event is an afternoon of inspiring talks and music, delicious food, children’s entertainment, and the opportunity to come together for prayers. 

At our fourth annual Picnic and Praise this August, we welcomed hundreds of members of our local community to join us for a fun-filled afternoon. We loved seeing familiar faces around the barbeque, enjoying the performances, and exploring the gardens. 

This year the event sponsored our charity The Breakfast Bothy, which provides hot meals, vital services, and connection to people experiencing homelessness in Edinburgh and which recently opened a charity shop. Our Picnic and Praise guests generously donated money, clothing, books, bric-a-brac and more. We sincerely thank all those who donated to our charity. Your donations go a long way in supporting people in need.

Spotlight on mental health at our Isobel Award ceremony

At our sixth annual Isobel Award ceremony we had the privilege of celebrating a wonderful charity that goes above and beyond to support children with their mental health.

That charity, and this year’s winner of The Isobel Award, is With Kids.

The Isobel Award honours the legacy of renowned botanist, explorer and author, Isobel Wylie Hutchison, who defied convention in the 1900s and chose a life of solo adventures, community giving, and endless wonder for the natural world. Carlowrie Castle was Isobel’s family home and the place she would return to after each of her adventures.

Each year Carlowrie Castle presents The Isobel Award to an individual or group who has overcome adversity and made a positive impact on their community. The award includes a grant towards their work and a year of dedicated support from our team.

This year’s event had a focus on mental wellbeing and joining us as our guest speaker was TV personality and mental health advocate, Gail Porter. Gail shared her honest and raw experience with her own mental health in a moving and memorable speech.

With Kids is a small charity that provides crucial mental health support to children and their families during difficult times. They work closely with communities, schools, and other agencies to foster healthy development, ensuring children can grow up to be happy and healthy adults. We look forward to supporting their work throughout the coming year.

First Castle in the World to Receive B Corp Certification

We are over the moon to become the first castle in the world to be awarded B Corp Certification, perfectly in time to celebrate our 10th year in business.

B Corp Certification is awarded to businesses that are able to demonstrate and maintain exceptionally high standards of socially and environmentally conscious practices. We now stand alongside international companies such as Patagonia, TOMS and Aesop who have all received the coveted Certification for putting people and planet before profit.

Andrew Marshall, CEO said: “In an age where businesses and consumers are seeing the importance of putting social and environmental issues above everything else, becoming B Corp Certified this month after 10 years of trading, is an excellent way to show our customers our lasting commitment to doing good by people and planet.”

Companies from around the world already use the castle for corporate retreats and events, and now we are excited to welcome even more like minded socially and environmentally conscious businesses through our doors in the wake of this announcement.

“When our guests come to Carlowrie Castle, whether that be for a business conference, a wedding, an exclusive-use party, a community event, or a private stay, they know that they are supporting us on our mission for an inclusive, equitable, and regenerative economy,” Andrew continued.

To attain B Corp Certification, we had to undergo a comprehensive and rigorous process to measure our entire social and environmental performance. From supply chain and input materials to charitable giving and employee benefits, B Corp Certification verifies that a business is meeting high standards of social and environmental performance, transparency, and accountability. All B Corp businesses are manually assessed and audited every three years to ensure they maintain these high standards.

Chris Turner, executive director of B Lab UK, said: “Welcoming Carlowrie Castle to the B Corp community is hugely exciting. Its commitment to doing business differently will be an inspiration to others and will help spread the notion that success in business is as much about people and planet as it is profit.”

Keith Taylor, Operations Director said: “Giving back to the environment and our community has long been an important part of what we do at Carlowrie Castle, but achieving this Certification has pushed us to do even more. It is a deliberately difficult Certification to attain which means it is held only by businesses who are truly passionate about environmental and social wellbeing. We’re immensely proud to be joining a group of like-minded businesses who share our commitment.”

The Breakfast Bothy Fundraiser

Do you know we run a charity? The Breakfast Bothy is a bright yellow former police box located near The Meadows in central Edinburgh. It was opened by the team at Carlowrie Castle in 2020 with a simple idea in mind: to provide a hot drink and breakfast to those who are homeless or otherwise unable to provide for themselves.

The Breakfast Bothy has created a safe community providing services, friendship and purpose. To further support our community, we are opening a charity shop which will not only provide funds to keep The Breakfast Bothy running but will be a community hub for our guests.

On the 19th April, 40 volunteers from Carlowrie braved the cold (2 degrees to be exact) and spent the night outside, in the grounds of the castle, to raise the final funds in order to make this happen.

Throughout the evening we heard from our guest speaker Walter DeForest, who shared his experience of homelessness and how that introduced him to art. He is now an artist and holds the record for the highest number of portraits created in 12 hours.

A huge thank you to everyone who donated, participated and supported us in helping raise over £11,000 towards setting up the community hub and charity shop, The Bothy Boutique.

Wedded Bliss at Carlowrie

At the end of last month we welcomed many couples to our wedding open day. In a day filled with music and entertainment, delicious canapés, sweet treats, many glasses of fizz, excited chatter, and some beautiful sunshine, we showcased all the wonderful things that Carlowrie Castle has to offer.

The wedding open day gave couples the opportunity to explore the castle, meet our vendors, and picture themselves walking down the aisle in this beautiful location. Our superb team and over 30 of Scotland’s leading wedding suppliers were on hand to help our guests plan their dream day. From flower arrangements and cake design, to invitations, entertainment, and so much more, our wedding vendors truly are the best in the business in our opinion. To top it all off, each of our guests received a goodie bag from the team at Harvey Nichols.

For anyone who missed out on attending our open day, rest assured that we host private tastings and tours of the castle throughout the year. Get in touch if you would like to book your visit and we would be delighted to show you around and help you plan your big day.

A Burst of Carlowrie Colour

A warm welcome to Eranthis Hyemalis, otherwise known as Winter Aconite. A charming early Spring flower known for its small, bright yellow cup-shaped flowers and glossy green foliage. The first flowers to emerge in the Castle gardens after Winter are a welcome sight and the promise of the arrival of Spring.

January and February is a time of reflection, goal setting and team training ensuring we are ready to tackle the year ahead. Our Garden Team plays a major part in this process. Winter is a crucial time for garden maintenance and preparation, even though plant growth may slow down or stop altogether, there is plenty to be done. From removing dead plant material and pruning to mulching, Winter sowing and companion planting, Alex and her team are always one step ahead and with one with goal in mind – ensuring every inch of the estate has the WOW factor for our Carlowrie Couples, Special Celebrations and Corporate Getaways.

As we move swiftly into Spring the Castle grounds will see the arrival of Hellebores, Hamamelis and Orange Beauty providing an array of colour and elegance everywhere you look.

Every Day is a School Day

Because we are a little quieter in events certainly doesn’t mean things grind to a halt at Carlowrie. This is the time of year when we invest in the Castle through refurbishments and refreshments, our clients – who are all booked in for tastings and discussions and our greatest resource – our fabulous team.

Over the past weeks we have been catching up with each member in all departments and putting together progression plans. Our team training has been both in small groups and all together. On fine tuning skills. It’s not all been hard work, with the cocktail and wine training proving especially popular.

Last week the Isobel Award 2023 winners, Art in Healthcare, came out to run sessions which had us painting and creating in mixed groups. The initial misgivings of a few of the team were quickly dispelled and we all had an absolute blast – not to mention discovering hidden talents!

Christmas at Carlowrie

Decorating Carlowrie for Christmas is a magical experience; however, it comes with responsibilities. Blending the grandeur of the Castle with the warmth and charm of festive traditions is not as easy as it looks!

We must start with a huge thank you to the team at Jordana Events (Jordana is our Chief Christmas Elf). With a brief to create a look that is classic, luxurious and will fit with every couples colour scheme, there are quite a few elements to balance. The Castle door arch has to be big and bold to ensure it does not get lost on the front of the Castle as well as creating an impact and that all important Instagram moment. The arch décor is hand crafted from real plants and has to last the full festive season plus be firmly fixed in place and ready to weather any storm.

Carlowrie was designed by David Rhind, a celebrated Scottish Architect, and built in the Scottish Baronial style between 1852 and 1855, characterised by elaborate rooflines and embellished with spires and tourelles. The aim for our festive décor is to sensitively complement the architecture of the castle whilst bringing a sensory experience to our guests full of warmth on a cold winter’s night.

Sight – crisp clear dark nights, firepits and flambeaux

Hearing – from classic carols to festive favourites, Christmas music fills the air and sets a festive mood

Smell – the aroma of fresh pine from the Christmas tree mixed with festive fragrances such as cinnamon

Taste – good red wine and hearty food

Touch – sharing stories by the fire, snuggling under a blanket watching the firework display

Engaging the senses collectively creates a Carlowrie Christmas never to be forgotten. Whether it’s the visual appeal of decorations, the sound of carols, the scent of festive treats, the taste of Christmas foods, or the tactile sensations of warmth and textures, each sense contributes to the overall magic and joy of the festive season.

Moooooove Over

There is nothing more lovely and Scottish than the trusty old Highland Cow. Easily recognisable by their long, shaggy, reddish-brown to black coats and distinctive long, curved horns. Their shaggy hair provides insulation against the cold and wet Scottish weather, allowing them to thrive in harsh conditions.

When Keith started at Carlowrie as Operations Manager, little did he know that when Andrew said there was a special delivery that he would become the proud Dad of 9 Highland Cows!

Known for their gentle and docile temperament (most of the time), they are often described as friendly and easy to handle. And our herd are just that. Lucky has a special bond with Keith – she was bottle fed for 3 months, and while she lacks stature because of her slow start, she is definitely the most vocal of the hairy herd.

Why cows you may ask?

The ethos of Carlowrie is to create a feeling of happiness in everything we do. Cows make us happy and our guests love them – they have even managed to sneak into the odd selfie.

Working alongside nature provides a sense of well-being to our Carlowrie team and we hope that our guests feel that too.

Autumn at Carlowrie Castle

Autumn is a breath-taking and enchanting season when nature puts on a spectacular display of vibrant hues, creating a visual feast for the eyes.

Carlowrie Castle is no exception and is dressed from turret to toe in a cloak of red. It’s one of the most popular times of the year for an event at the Castle. The days are shorter which means the Castle and grounds are lit up early evening, creating the perfect backdrop for photographs. The nights become longer and clearer, perfect for hot drinks around the firepit whilst guest watch the stars or maybe even a private fireworks display. And, as the weather gets colder there is no better place to celebrate with loved ones than the cosy atmosphere of the Castle.

We are lucky to be photogenic all year round, however in Autumn we receive many requests from “Leaf Peepers” a popular activity with people travelling to witness the Castle being transformed into a sea of red, providing outstanding photo opportunities.