A new animal centre has been built in the grounds of the Queen Mother’s historic Highland castle.
The attraction will open today at Castle of Mey, near Canisbay in Caithness, for the start of this year’s visitor season.
Children and their families will now have the opportunity to interact with baby chicks in their incubator, try their hand at milking cows, or come early in the season to have a chance of bottle feeding lambs.
The new facility, located in East Woods, has been built with traditional Caithness materials including a flagstone roof.
During the build, local company O’Brien Construction also invited students from North Highland College to see the site.
The Queen Mother bought the 16th century castle itself in 1952, and at her request many of the rooms were re-purposed and refurbished with fine art and furnishings, many of which were bought locally.
Prince Charles is president of the trust that runs the castle near John O’Groats and stays for a week every August to keep up the memory of his late grandmother.
Last year, the castle recorded a 16% rise in tourists, with 21,622 visitors attending during its season, after hitting a low of 18,768 in 2015.
The rise was partly attributed to its popularity as a stop-off on the hugely successful North Coast 500 driving route around the Highlands, and the trust is seeking ways to boost numbers further.
The gardens continue to be a major attraction and visitors can purchase surplus plants and vegetables when available.
The Castle of Mey also houses a gift shop and tearooms in its visitor centre. Among the gift shop’s offerings is a jam chutney made from fresh produce picked from the castle garden.
The castle opens seven days a week at 10.20am, and last admissions are at 4pm. The new animal centre, visitor centre and gardens are open from 10am-5pm from May 17-September 30, with the exception of a closure from July 29-August 9.
