Happy New Year From Haddo
5 Jan 2017
We're back in the office after our Christmas break and looking forward to what should be a fantastic year in 2017.
It's been a bit of a mixed week for returning staff- walking in to work through horizontal hail at 9am on Wednesday morning possibly wasn't the best start to the new year- but we're all back into the swing of things now and ready to get started.
We've already got lots of events planned throughout the year. Easter and Halloween will of course be our biggest events of the year, but we've also got Scottish songs and poetry, cross country racing, Big Garden Birdwatch and an evening of dancing at the Haddo Snow Ball - and that's all in the next month! Further ahead we've got plans for opera, the return of the Haddo Bike Festival, and at least one history weekend.
We'll be adding events to the calendar on this website as soon as possible, and you can always check our Facebook page as well for more details.
Even though the schedule's looking fairly full already we're always happy to look at hosting other events and activities so if your group/charity/company has something you'd like to do at Haddo - in the park, gardens, house, exhibition space or concert hall - just get in touch and we'll see what we can arrange!
Out and About
The park and gardens might seem a bit bare at this time of year but there's still plenty to see if you're out and about. If you're a photographer the low light at this time of year is perfect for dramatic sunset shots around the lake, and the NTS gardens are full of tall seedheads and bare stems which look superb when there's a touch of frost on them.
The fat, pink and black Bullfinches are especially striking at this time of year- look for them in small flocks in the tree tops, and listen out for the toy trumpet sound of the visiting Northern Bullfinch which have come over to us from the colder continent. There are also Redpoll and Siskin up in the Craigie Wood and Treecreeper and Goldcrest flitting around everywhere, especially in the trees by the squirrel hide.
There's still hair ice to be found on cold days as well. It can turn up anywhere but the crossroads halfway down the Scots Mile seems to be a hotspot (cold spot?) at the moment.
New Year Opening Times
The NTS tearoom and shop and Mrs Smith's all reopen this weekend after the Christmas break. The shop will then be open on Saturday and Sunday, the tearoom from Friday to Monday and Mrs Smith's open Tuesday to Sunday as normal.
