Hidden Scotland
Sign in
A turreted country house with picnic tables set on the lawn beside its entrance
Aberdeenshire

Leith Hall

A quirky National Trust house of 1650, seen by guided tour, with a hidden-gem garden.

Visit website
Welcome

Leith Hall was built in 1650 near Kennethmont, west of Insch, and for three centuries it was the home of the Leith-Hay family, before it was a military hospital and then a much-loved property of the National Trust for Scotland.

It has something of the look of a French chateau.

The house is seen by guided tour, which is the best way to understand it: the changing hopes, needs and tastes of one family over the centuries. It is a quirky and curious house, full of collections gathered from around the world, and a military exhibition tells the story of the generations of Leith-Hays who served as soldiers.

Outside is the garden, and from the top of it there are fine views over Aberdeenshire to the hills. There are walks round the estate, a bird hide at the upper pond for herons and wildfowl, lawns for a picnic and a shop. Dogs are welcome on the estate on a lead, but only assistance dogs in the garden.

A short drive awayDean's of HuntlyThe home of Dean's shortbread, with a bright bistro and a shop beside the bakery.12 min by roadSee itThe red front of the Dean's building on Depot Road in Huntly under its name.
Before you go

The house is seen by guided tour.

Dogs on a lead on the estate, assistance dogs only in the garden. Access is limited to the ground floor.

Where
Kennethmont, near Huntly.
House
By guided tour.
Where it is

Kennethmont, near Huntly.

Close byAround Kennethmont.
  1. A Pictish stone at Rhynie, its incised symbols faint on the pink granite.Rhynie Pictish StonesThree carved Pictish stones by the old kirkyard at Rhynie, under Tap o' Noth.5 miles9 min by road
  2. The broken tower of Dunnideer Castle, a great window through it, on the grassy top of the hill.Dunnideer CastleA broken castle wall of around 1260 on a hilltop ringed by a fort of fused stone.6 miles15 min by road
  3. The Picardy Stone standing in its field near Insch, a rough whinstone slab.The Picardy StoneA Pictish symbol stone still standing where it was raised, over a grave, outside Insch.6 miles19 min by road
  4. The roofless kirk of St Mary at Auchindoir among its gravestones and trees.St Mary's Church, AuchindoirA roofless church of the late 1200s near Rhynie, with a Norman doorway and a carved sacrament house.8 miles12 min by road
  5. Huntly CastleHuntly Castle8 miles14 min by road
Directions
The red front of the Dean's building on Depot Road in Huntly under its name.CafeDean's of Huntly7.6 miles
Close-up of a bald eagle's white head and hooked yellow beakAttractionsHuntly Falconry Centre11 miles
Visitors among a steam engine and old cars in the Grampian Transport Museum.AttractionsGrampian Transport Museum11 miles
Two little green engines of the Alford Valley Railway with red buffers, outside the engine shed.AttractionsAlford Valley Railway11 miles
The green front of the Alford Heritage Museum under its painted sign, in the old auction mart.AttractionsAlford Heritage Museum11 miles
A herd of red deer on the grass at Tullynessle, a stag at the front and forest behind.ActivityTullynessle Deer Farm11 miles
The timber-roofed dining room at Morgan McVeigh's, tables by tall windows.RestaurantsMorgan McVeigh's12 miles
Kildrummy Castle's D-shaped ruin seen from the air above its ravine.AttractionsKildrummy Castle13 miles
A stone farmhouse with a slated roof and green door sits behind a lawn, a timber garden room extending to one side.AberdeenshireChapeltonSleeps 6 · 14 miles
Stay nearby

Places to stay near Leith Hall, and when each is next free.

A stone farmhouse with a slated roof and green door sits behind a lawn, a timber garden room extending to one side.Chapelton
  • Sleeps 6
  • In Aberdeenshire
  • 11 miles from Leith Hall
Free 26–28 OctA stone farmhouse with a gabled dormer window sits behind a timber picket fence, trees shading the drive.Home Farm
  • Sleeps 6
  • In Aberdeenshire
  • 11 miles from Leith Hall
Free 28–30 OctA stone cottage with green-framed dormer windows and matching door stands behind a gravel drive, trees and open fields beyond.Dalgrassick
  • Sleeps 4
  • In Aberdeenshire
  • 11 miles from Leith Hall
Free 2–4 NovA stone house with three dormer windows and a yellow front door sits behind a lawn, terracotta pots flanking the entrance.Greenstyle
  • Sleeps 6
  • In Aberdeenshire
  • 11 miles from Leith Hall
Free 16–18 OctPlaces to stayEvery stay in AberdeenshireAll our places to stay nearby, to search by date and by who is coming.See them all
Hidden Scotland, the magazine

Scotland, in print.

Every photograph commissioned, every word written by somebody who went. Printed twice a year, made in Scotland.

Get Issue 13Read it here
Find out more

For further reading, before you go.