Leith Hall
Leith Hall in Aberdeenshire is a richly layered country house that reflects more than three centuries of family life. Built in 1650 and expanded repeatedly, it feels like a living timeline: each generation of the Leith‑Hay family added new wings, new fashions and new stories, creating a house where Scottish tradition and European influence sit side by side. Inside, the rooms are filled with character. The dining room displays portraits and military memorabilia linked to General Alexander Leith‑Hay, whose journals and sketches offer vivid glimpses of 19th‑century travel and warfare. The library and drawing room preserve the atmosphere of a cultivated household, with period furniture, delicate plasterwork and personal objects left almost as they were. One of the most intriguing features is the family’s collection of curiosities — including exotic artefacts brought back from abroad. The house also contains a small but memorable armoury, and several rooms retain original wallpapers and textiles that reveal changing tastes across the centuries. Visitors can explore the bedrooms, the service areas and the central staircase, which ties the house’s evolving architecture together.
Kennethmont Scotland
Leith Hall sits quietly in the Aberdeenshire countryside about a mile west of the village of Kennethmont, off the B9002 and roughly seven miles south of Huntly. The address is Leith Hall, Kennethmont, Huntly, Aberdeenshire AB54 4NQ. It is a welcoming Scottish baronial mansion that was home to the Leith-Hay family for centuries, surrounded by lovely gardens and wooded estate walks. Just a short drive north brings you to the impressive ruins of Huntly Castle, once the seat of the powerful Gordon family. A little further on you can visit the Grampian Transport Museum in Alford for a look at old vehicles and local transport history. Craigievar Castle, with its fairytale pink towers, lies within easy reach, as does the grand Fyvie Castle with its fine interiors and art collection. Closer prehistoric sites such as the Rhynie Symbol Stones and the Tap o’ Noth hill fort offer a peaceful contrast, while the ruins of Dunnideer Castle and St Mary’s Kirk at Auchindoir make pleasant short stops.