HRH The Duke of Rothesay, at The Castle of Mey
The Granary Lodge, Castle of Mey
On Wednesday I was commissioned to do some photography at the opening of The Granary Lodge, a new accommodation block at The Castle of Mey.
Work has been ongoing for some time now, and I was intrigued to see how it would look. It was an official opening by HRH The Duke of Rothesay, with invited guests attending.
My brief was to photograph the event, as well as capturing images of the rooms and general shots of the building, as well as some up to date images in the Castle.
It was a cold day, with a sea haar hanging around most of the time I was there, which meant nice light for the people pictures, but outside images were a bit dull. However, in true Caithness style, once everyone had left, the sun came out and it looked much better.
The rooms are stunning, and priced very competitively. A stunning suite in this amazing (and Royal) location, is around the same price as a half decent hotel room in Inverness. In fact probably less, and better value for money. The large suites, which are bigger than my entire flat, are only around £195 for the night, which I think is a great deal. Standard rooms are priced at around £150.
It was a pleasure to be back in Caithness again, and meeting so many people I haven’t seen in a while. I would like to take this opportunity to say something though…. It is a bit of a myth that I don’t do much work there these days, and I’d be happy to shoot there much more frequently, I just think for one reason or another, everyone has assumed I am away, and out of the picture (pardon the pun), when nothing could be further from the truth. My connection with the Castle of Mey goes right back to my early days of photography, between 15 and 20 years ago, and it is one of my favourite places in the country. I have probably photographed Prince Charles on around 30-40 occasions over the years, and he is always helpful, polite, and most importantly has a genuine interest in the area.
So, if you haven’t (even if you have) been to the Castle Of Mey, please drop in and have a look. They have an awesome shop and visitor centre, with cafe, the Castle is definitely worth a visit, and now you have accommodation next door as well!.
