Fernie Castle Hotel in Letham, near Cupar, Kingdom of Fife, Scotland
By Paul Pence
A
fairytale wedding required a fairytale honeymoon, one with romance and
mystique and lots of happily-ever-aftering. It needed a bridal suite in the
highest room of the tallest tower of an ancient castle in a distant land…
and that’s what we found waiting for us for our first night in Scotland at
Fernie Castle.
Neil
Blackburn, the Laird of Fernie Castle, invited my new bride Linda and me to
spend our first honeymoon night in his 450-year-old castle. Not all of the
castle is that old; only the “keep” dates from 1353 during the days of
Duncan the 13th and the era of warring Highland clans. The majority of the
castle is somewhat more recent, being passed down from family member to
family member over the centuries, with a spired turret highlighting the
south end and the dungeon converted to a cozy bar with an arched ceiling.
We
spent the night in one of the castle’s two “monarch suites”. Ours awaited
us on the top floor (third floor by American counting, second floor by UK
reckoning). White and ivory, highlighted with gold was the theme of the room
– a thick white comforter on the white four-poster bed, bolster pillows of
white with gold thread, white wallpaper with intricate gold vertical
stripes, white wood on the furniture with gold trim -- a plush and welcoming
bridal chamber if there ever was one.
Our
green marble-floored bathroom filled the entire room in the turret, with a
long, white claw-footed tub taking center stage. A white pedestal sink and
a plant on a stand stood nearby like guards for the tub, or perhaps silent
servants.
The windows of our upper-floor room looked out onto the
grounds of the castle – wide expanses of green Scottish grass that attracted
what seemed to be a hundred “wee bunnies” in the evening hours. The trees
enclosed the gardens, opening a gap to the west, where we could see the
farms and fields all the way to the distant horizon. It never quite got
dark over that horizon – high latitudes and summer season combined to create
unbelievably long days.
As
honeymooners, the bridal chambers took special significance, but there’s no
reason to ignore the rest of the castle. The floors were carpeted with a
McFee tartan – chosen for its colors rather than for its historical
significance. The walls in the public areas had been hand-painted in a
pale fresco style to look like the heavy stone you’d expect in a castle. At
the top of the stairs near our room, the walls show a knight on leading his
fair lady on her horse. A shining suit of armor decorates the lobby and
armor breastplates adorn the walls of the bar.
The
dining room, a modern addition to the castle, held a dozen or so tables, set
with linen and china. Our table overlooked a tiny courtyard with gnarled
vines and a statue of a girl holding a basket.
For starters I had venison and pork liver pâté
accompanied by hot pistachio toast and quince, while Linda had honeydew
melon shaped into a flower, garnished with berries. Then came a prime
Scottish steak for me with a brandy and peppercorn sauce, while Linda
enjoyed the Tay salmon with a creamy mussel sauce.
Our
dessert was a tray of local cheeses and grapes, which we took up to our room
to share before bedtime.
Of course the castle has a ghost; every old building
has a ghost if ghost stories will help business. The story of the Fernie
Castle ghost is the one of the young bride, married without her father’s
permission. In the inevitable disagreement between her father and the
groom, complete with swordplay and bloodshed, the bride fell from one of the
castle towers. Her ghost is said to visit the castle from time to time,
appearing as a sad lady in green, wandering the halls and visiting hotel
guests late at night – particularly guests who happen to be judgmental
fathers. No ghost for us, though.
In
the morning we awoke to the crow of the rooster who lived in the farm next
door, on land that was until recently part of the castle grounds. After a
hearty Scottish breakfast that included a clove-flavored black pudding,
meaty bacon (not the “streaky” bacon Americans tolerate), a fried tomato,
and potato scones, we strolled out to see the castle’s grounds.
A
loch sits behind the castle. It’s about an acre in size, and at that time
the aquatic plants seemed to have an upper hand in the perpetual battle for
space, but plans are in the works for a school of carp to munch on the
plants and restore order to the pond. But the blue heron that calls the
loch home has its own plans for the carp – breakfast, lunch, and dinner to
be specific.
Laird
Blackburn and his family live in a small house next to the castle. He
prefers to treat the castle as a hotel – an establishment with a
professional and cultured atmosphere, rather than as a B&B that mixes the
family in with the guests. His ancestral castle is a ruin; he purchased the
Fernie Castle from the previous owners who had maintained the castle as a
hotel, making a considerable effort to enhance the castle “feel” of the
hotel by painting a stone motif on the interior walls and removing the
stucco-like harling from the majority of the castle’s exterior.
The
castle is the area’s prime hotel, used by local companies for meetings and
by what must seem like every wedding party for miles around. To accommodate
the many patrons, the castle now has a small ballroom in the back of the
castle and Blackburn has built a “treehouse” cottage to give bridal couples
a place to retreat from their wedding guests.
There
is so much about Fernie that will remain in our hearts – a smiling desk
clerk named Fiona, the second floor sitting room with its chess set and
friendly fireplace, the bronze statues and urns placed around the grounds,
the mysterious dungeon-like cistern that hides behind a barred gateway, and
the ever-present pot of hot tea.
We will always remember Fernie as our ancient castle in
a distant land where we found our happily ever after.
Fernie
Castle’s monarch suites go for £238.00 per couple, and dinner is just under
£30 apiece. Their address is: Fernie Castle, Letham, by Cupar, Fife, KY15
7RU SCOTLAND. Phone them at 01337 810381 or email at
mail@ferniecastle.demon.co.uk
BIO:
Paul Pence is a freelance writer whose work has appeared in numerous
publications. He has just married Linda Eagleson, the romance editor of
Rhode Island Roads magazine.
TM
A
fairytale wedding required a fairytale honeymoon, one with romance and
mystique and lots of happily-ever-aftering. It needed a bridal suite in the
highest room of the tallest tower of an ancient castle in a distant land…
and that’s what we found waiting for us for our first night in Scotland at
Fernie Castle.
Neil
Blackburn, the Laird of Fernie Castle, invited my new bride Linda and me to
spend our first honeymoon night in his 450-year-old castle. Not all of the
castle is that old; only the “keep” dates from 1353 during the days of
Duncan the 13th and the era of warring Highland clans. The majority of the
castle is somewhat more recent, being passed down from family member to
family member over the centuries, with a spired turret highlighting the
south end and the dungeon converted to a cozy bar with an arched ceiling.
We
spent the night in one of the castle’s two “monarch suites”. Ours awaited
us on the top floor (third floor by American counting, second floor by UK
reckoning). White and ivory, highlighted with gold was the theme of the room
– a thick white comforter on the white four-poster bed, bolster pillows of
white with gold thread, white wallpaper with intricate gold vertical
stripes, white wood on the furniture with gold trim -- a plush and welcoming
bridal chamber if there ever was one.
Our
green marble-floored bathroom filled the entire room in the turret, with a
long, white claw-footed tub taking center stage. A white pedestal sink and
a plant on a stand stood nearby like guards for the tub, or perhaps silent
servants. 
As
honeymooners, the bridal chambers took special significance, but there’s no
reason to ignore the rest of the castle. The floors were carpeted with a
McFee tartan – chosen for its colors rather than for its historical
significance. The walls in the public areas had been hand-painted in a
pale fresco style to look like the heavy stone you’d expect in a castle. At
the top of the stairs near our room, the walls show a knight on leading his
fair lady on her horse. A shining suit of armor decorates the lobby and
armor breastplates adorn the walls of the bar.
The
dining room, a modern addition to the castle, held a dozen or so tables, set
with linen and china. Our table overlooked a tiny courtyard with gnarled
vines and a statue of a girl holding a basket. 
Our
dessert was a tray of local cheeses and grapes, which we took up to our room
to share before bedtime.
In
the morning we awoke to the crow of the rooster who lived in the farm next
door, on land that was until recently part of the castle grounds. After a
hearty Scottish breakfast that included a clove-flavored black pudding,
meaty bacon (not the “streaky” bacon Americans tolerate), a fried tomato,
and potato scones, we strolled out to see the castle’s grounds. 
A
loch sits behind the castle. It’s about an acre in size, and at that time
the aquatic plants seemed to have an upper hand in the perpetual battle for
space, but plans are in the works for a school of carp to munch on the
plants and restore order to the pond. But the blue heron that calls the
loch home has its own plans for the carp – breakfast, lunch, and dinner to
be specific.
Laird
Blackburn and his family live in a small house next to the castle. He
prefers to treat the castle as a hotel – an establishment with a
professional and cultured atmosphere, rather than as a B&B that mixes the
family in with the guests. His ancestral castle is a ruin; he purchased the
Fernie Castle from the previous owners who had maintained the castle as a
hotel, making a considerable effort to enhance the castle “feel” of the
hotel by painting a stone motif on the interior walls and removing the
stucco-like harling from the majority of the castle’s exterior.
The
castle is the area’s prime hotel, used by local companies for meetings and
by what must seem like every wedding party for miles around. To accommodate
the many patrons, the castle now has a small ballroom in the back of the
castle and Blackburn has built a “treehouse” cottage to give bridal couples
a place to retreat from their wedding guests.
There
is so much about Fernie that will remain in our hearts – a smiling desk
clerk named Fiona, the second floor sitting room with its chess set and
friendly fireplace, the bronze statues and urns placed around the grounds,
the mysterious dungeon-like cistern that hides behind a barred gateway, and
the ever-present pot of hot tea.
Fernie
Castle’s monarch suites go for £238.00 per couple, and dinner is just under
£30 apiece. Their address is: Fernie Castle, Letham, by Cupar, Fife, KY15
7RU SCOTLAND. Phone them at 01337 810381 or email at
BIO:
Paul Pence is a freelance writer whose work has appeared in numerous
publications. He has just married Linda Eagleson, the romance editor of
Rhode Island Roads magazine.