Gight castle is one of my favourite places. It is not particularly visually interesting, but it’s soaked in history. Gight, or Formartine as it was formerly called, is built high on the north bank of the Ythan river in Aberdeenshire, about half way between Methlick and Fyvie. The much ruined remains conform to the L-plan, although the internal lay-out is not typical of an L-plan tower-house. It is hard to tell how high the castle was originally, as nothing remains above the 1st floor these days. The ground floor is vaulted in the usual manner and well supplied with defensive shot holes. The stairwell and kitchen are now choked with fallen rubble from above. The stones from the turnpike stair leading to the 1st floor have all gone, although a second stair can still be traced leading up through the wall from the wine cellar to the Hall above. The estate became the property, in 1479, of William Gordon, third son of the Earl of Huntly, who probably built the castle. The Gordons of Gight led turbulent lives for the next 300 years, with scarcely one of them dying in bed! The last of them, Catherine Gordon, married Jack Byron (by whom she was the mother of Lord Byron), who gambled her inheritance away and the estate was sold to Lord Aberdeen in 1787. It has remained a part of the Haddo estate ever since. (The sub-gallery "Gordon of Gight" below contains a more extensive history of the family - for those interested!)