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 Fettercairn Distillery |
The name of Fettercairn is well known to anyone who listens to Radio Scotland traffic broadcasts in winter. It lies at the southern end of the B974 Cairn O'Mount road, a road that climbs over the eastern extension of the Cairngorms to Banchory. And a road that is regularly the first in Scotland to close when the snows sweep in from the east.
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Fettercairn itself is a glorious little village with a population of some 250. It is built mostly from a reddish sandstone that is at its best in the sort of low winter light illustrated on this page.
 Village Cottages |
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The village dates back over a thousand years, though most of what can be seen today has been built since its sacking by the Marquis of Montrose in 1645.
The Mercat (or market) Cross stands in the centre of the broad market place at the heart of Fettercairn. The current cross is believed to date from around 1670. Multifunctional, the cross incorporates a sundial and was also the village stocks: you can still see where an iron collar could be attached. On the west side of the shaft is a groove that is 37.5 inches (or one Ell) in length. This served as a standard length for traders.
Fettercairn is also home to a fine Church, built in 1803 and dedicated to St Martin. The beautifully slender spire is a later addition.
For the visitor, the most obvious structure in Fettercairn is its arch, through which light traffic still squeezes. This was erected in 1864, at a cost of £250, to celebrate an overnight stay in the village by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert in September 1861. They were on an excursion from Balmoral and had crossed Mount Keen before arriving in Fettercairn. They returned to Balmoral the following day over the Cairn O'Mount road in thick fog.
On the north west side of the village, set beautifully against the hills beyond, lies the whitewashed Fettercairn Distillery. This dates back to 1824, though much of what you see today is from a later rebuilding or from the extension in 1966. The distillery has a visitor centre offering free tours between May and September.
