Brechin Castle Garden Centre in Angus

Im not one for writing a lot of reviews, however I feel it necessary to write this one. We have taken our granddaughter to a couple of Halloween themed places both in the central belt where we stay but decided to go to another as we're were up Brechin way for a couple of days. I must admit though reading some of the reviews on here we we're thinking of looking for somewhere else. However we decided to stick to visiting though with a bit of trepidation I must admit. Actually thought it was at the castle- my mistake. Found staff to be very friendly from the girl at reception giving out the wristbands to the restaurant staff and the driver of the barrel train. Granddaughter loved that btw. Also ran into Darren the park manager and I feel I must say how friendly he was - taking pictures of us which is always appreciated. Spent a bit of time talking to him asking him about the storm damage and how his team had worked hard to make sure everything was in place for the visitors. Great effort!!! Before going to talk to another family he gave me directions to the castle which was great. The only "negative" thing I could say about him is he gave us clues to find the 2 purple pumpkins we couldn't find but there was 1 we just couldn't get and he wouldn't tell us. Only kidding that would have spoiled it. You can see that everyone has worked hard, the restaurant is really clean, prices reasonable and the food was great - absolutely no complaints there. Loved the shop displays and a good variety to buy at decent prices unlike some of the other places we've been to this year. We're looking forward to coming back up at Christmas time to see the light show. I work with the public too and it can be difficult but well done to everyone involved.

We came as a family of 4 and some family friends with us and their children. We booked prior to going and when arriving we decided to go fo lunch in the cafe first before going through to the outdoor area. A female staff member had shouted over with a stern face “did you buy tickets first” yes we did and we showed the lady our wrist bands. Thought no more of this. Ten mins later the same lady had then sent security to chase us round the garden and follow us, asking to see our wrist bands again which we happily did, when we question why it was us again being followed around,l and asked for the guys name he replied DARREN (quite proudly laughing as he stated his name, and that he was park manager. probably knowing nothing will be done about this report anyways.) We asked why no other family was being followed or questioned about their bands, he just said if it’s a problem and suggested to shrug his shoulders indicating if we wasn’t happy then owell, we got no answer just made to feel like absolute rubbish. I will be looking into this further and following up with this complaint to the highest superior so this doesn’t happen to anyone else. We felt like we had done something wrong and left without completing our ever we had all paid full price plus a pumpkin for. The cafe staff were rude, overwhelmed and no one seems to know what they are doing. Beautiful gardens but due to this treatment for no reason none of our party will be returning and would like to advise others just be aware of Darren. Completely un professional and borderline harassment.

Got the cheek to charge £30 for a family of 4 to walk round a fairy trail that they have tried to disguise with Halloween decorations. Takes about 15 mins. Try spot 5 pumpkins and fill in the treasure trail sheet. Oh no pen, here buy one from us! Cafe was no better. £40 for sandwich, panini and kids meal with drinks. Panini took over 15 mins to be made in which time everyone else had finished. Was also not very nice. Cold and cheese not melted properly. Not a great experience at all which is a shame. Used to be pretty decent until they started to rip folk off and charge people to take kids into the play area. Picnic benches everywhere and a big sign saying no picnics! If you’re charging then allow picnics. If no picnics make the park free.

Food looks lovely, but unfortunately it doesn't taste great. It's expensive and not value for money. The scones are dry, and the cakes are made to look bigger by the copious amount of cream piled on top.

We went for cooked breakfast and we were £6.99 each for 6 items . Poor quality bacon and sausages and small portions . Not worth the money and we won’t be back .

Visited the cafe in the afternoon with my elderly mother and husband. The cakes and scones looked amazing but unfortunately were far from it. The scones were so dry, they appeared to be more than a few days old. The chocolate on top of a tray bake was pale, mottled and appeared to have been kept too long in a fridge. Disappointing experience.

Reading the reviews and having visited over past years, we have experienced highs and lows of service and quality and this is becoming less of a favourite for us to visit. Today was an extremely disappointing visit as I intended making significant purchases from the garden centre. I visited with my wee one with the intention of using a trolley for my purchases. However, the selection of trolleys available did not include an option with a child seat, when asking staff I was informed that this is not something they provide, but I was welcome to take his buggy in!! Not being able to manage a buggy as well as a trolley, I declined their offer and have disappointingly had to go elsewhere for my garden supplies and plants.

Always a lovely friendly and helpful welcome. The cakes are amazing with lots of choice. The main meals are a set menu. This needs to be a little varied. Maybe a vegetarian burger or curry like on this occasion.

On our first visit this year to Brechin Castle Garden Centre cafe with our friends from Brechin, we found everything was as in the past. The cafe was exceptionally busy, but the staff coped very well i.e cleaning tables as soon as they were vacated and coping with the long queue for food. Today we had soup and sandwiches- the soups being Carrot and Coriander or Vegetable Broth. Both were excellent and were served with a warm roll and butter. We had Tuna Mayonnaise with Sweetcorn, and Chicken Mayonnaise sandwiches. They were both excellent, the bread was soft and they were well filled. We also had a Flat White coffee and a Coca Cola. Our friends had a Cheese and Onion Toastie and a Baked Potato with Chicken Mayonnaise filling, accompanied by Irn Bru's. They both looked very appetising. Now the Brechin Bridge has reopened we'll be visiting quite frequently as the staff are always polite and you can depend on the quality. Haste ye back!!

Cold chips with very greasy battered Haddock. My fiend had cold chips with dry - no sauce Macaroni . My coffee could have been tea- no taste of Coffee. Last time it was cakes we had to return- won’t b back. Oh. The toilets need refurbished- cracked sink has been cracked for a few years

This complex has a garden centre, a large shopping area,and a spacious restaurant. It has a convenient location near the A 90 with a large parking area. Our party of three had an enjoyable lunch. There was a reasonable selection of light lunches, cakes, and sandwiches. Prices were not cheap but probably on par with other similar local Eateries. Service was quick and friendly, and we spent a couple of enjoyable hours at the Centre.

Poor,poor,poor. Been going here for years, but standards have dropped so much that I won’t be back. Used to take a bag of scones home but at £ 2 a scone to take away it’s a joke.

After many visits to the cafe on our travels up and down the A90, I won't be stopping for tea and cream scones again. At £3.60 I was disappointed to find that they were hard and dry for a second time. The first time this happened I was told it was a mistake that the day befores had been left out for sale. This time, dry and hard again, but told (by email) that they were fresh that morning and only firm because they were refrigerated. This doesnt explain how, at the same time of day on many previous visits this was not the case. The staff have always been helpful and friendly, the facilities clean and normally fresh baking, this was not.

Had a great day here with 4 kids and 2 adults. £38 entry for us did to family ticket. We stayed 11-4 and thought it was good value with so many activities. The kids spent so long at the tractor area that we didn't have time to explore the play park. The staff were so welcoming. The lady at reception took time to explain all the facilities which was great then outside the man took time to walk round and tell everyone about the barrel carts which we ould have missed otherwise. I find it refreshing that picnics are welcome and there's plenty of tables and benches available to eat at. A few are even under shelter. Cafe was reasonably priced for coffees and plenty of cakes and treats to choose from. Great customer service all round 😀 We'll definitely be back. (If we lived nearer and the annual pass was cheaper I'd definitely get one. £145 seems quite a lot)

This was a wee surprise on a trip from Aberdeen down to Perth. A local friend said we should stop here instead of our usual place (which we had been blethering and passed by accident). Will return with the grandkids and wife (&wallet) to give it the full time it deserves, thanks Katie for the idea!

had the lairds breakfast for two it was luke warm mushrooms like rubber scrambled eggs were watery in fact the whole lot was awful worst breakfast in the area and over priced and to cap it all the table we sat at was very wobbley won,t be back..

been here many times - managed to avoid the queues this time which were horrendous last visit good coffee and bacon roll - large menu to cater of all tastes very slow at the coffee dispensing which has tendency to slow the whole service line down - possibly needs to be looked at with people waiting long lengths to get seated - problem if older and maybe infirm table service fine - great view out of windows onto gardens and garden centre

We (3 adults and 2 children aged 5&6) visited the park around 11am on Saturday 8th April and we didn’t leave until after 4pm. What a fantastic day we had! Definitely worth every penny as there was so much to do for our children. They thoroughly enjoyed the Fairy Trail and the maze. We took our own picnic but did pop into the coffee shop for a coffee and a scone which was delicious!

Very disappointing and overpriced! Lets start with the egg mayo “roll” - priced at £6.50 - i was expecting something special. Instead i got a stale, hard finger bun with some egg mayo - egg mayo was all right just ruined by the bun. It was awful and should not be advertised as a roll. The macaroni cheese was cold. The chips were good. I got a cup of tea added milk - the milk was on the turn so i had lumpy tea which was nice 👍 Managed to speak to a waiter who apologized and asked if I wanted it replaced and took my cup of tea away - i nipped to the bathroom and upon my return I found a nice fresh little jug of milk - but no tea, cup or spoon- brought it to the waiters attention but didn’t want to hang around anymore especially as it would have cost us £6 each to go for a walk in what was essentially an overpriced kids park so left and stopped at a decent cafe on way home. Very expensive “lunch” and ridiculously overpriced.

Visited today with my son/daugher-in-law and grandson. Have to say I was very disappointed. We paid £30 for a family ticket, which is extortionate at any rate for what's on offer. The staff confronted us on several occasions to ask if we were wearing our wrist bands, which was a little unnecessary. Due to inclement weather some of the children's playground activities were waterlogged and therefore inaccessible. For £30, ALL children's amenities should be accessible or, failing that, a discount should be applied. Never mind the aforementioned staff harrying the visitors, they should instead be tidying up outside between the Crazy Golf sessions etc, so as the next unsuspecting visitor has everything at their disposal. Used to enjoy visiting the Centre, but now wouldn't go back and, sorry, wouldn't recommend it either.

Terrible! Used to love stopping here but not again greed and grumpy jobsworth staff and business rules. Having brought breakfast for 4 adults 3 10-12 year olds. (Around £60) to then be charged £7 each to enter their grounds is simply price gouging. This is especially true when they had the brass neck to charge 2 adults as well to sit and supervise. It’s a shame cos one of the draws was always stopping at Brechin Castle because of their play facilities but sadly greed has got the best of this business model. After years and years of making this a stop on the way south I’d think many others will have the same opinion.

Clean, friendly staff, quick service, well laid out, food perfect, child portions available for us, go to visit there with friends

Very nice garden centre but it was quite expensive. Nicely laid out plenty to see and caters for children too. Also the restaurant was very nice. Would recommend a visit

Visited today, my food turkey dinner was luke warm and my grandsons macaroni was cold. Toilets were disgusting. Have visited regularly over the years and seems to have really gone downhill. With the amount of people going through this place the toilets really need to he more regularly checked .

Went into the garden centre and the products were great however the customer service received from one of the employees was distasteful and rude. We had asked a simple question in a polite manner to be responded with rudeness and attitude. Simply asked if dogs were allowed into the garden centre as a lot of centres allow this if they have a pet section.The answer we received was “well you wouldn’t bring your dog into a department store would you?” “No you’re not allowed” The employee continued to have a dismissing tone towards us and made faces while rudely answering our question. Not everyone gets out much nowadays with everything going on and social situations such as this can be difficult for some and I really hope this isn’t the standard attitude of this employee otherwise I feel very sorry for those who want to ask a simple question.

Planned a trip here with my two grandkids (4) and (7) before the holidays were over. We knew it was likely to be busy with it being the last Sunday before the schools returned. The country park was a great day out and we found there was a great range for them both to enjoy. We opted to stop into the coffee shop for refreshments and to escape the cold for a wee bit. The coffee shop was very busy the queues were moving relatively quickly with a track and trace table right at the door. One of the first things we were greeted with was a magnificent display of cream cakes, it was one of the best I’d seen there for a long time. The children instantly decided on a strawberry tart which was devoured. The chicken goujons were a hit too judging from the clean plates, giving them plenty of energy to return to the park! The broth was a welcome warmth on a autumnal day.

I went with 7 Of my Grandchildren and was very disappointed. It was overcrowded and no social distancing. Large queues at most of the activities and no supervision. Go karts were a joke some not working and a huge puddle and very muddy area’s. We all left there very wet and kids covered in mud. Definitely not value for money and won’t be back.

Lovely day out with grandchildren. Loved the fairy trail. Plenty of other activities to keep the whole family amused. Can't comment on restaurant as we took a picnic. Impressed with the hand sanitising stations at every single activity. Toilets were spotless. Although it seemed busy (car park was full and into overflow car park) the actual park didn't seem busy as everything was well spaced out, so social distancing was easy to maintain. Price of family ticket was favourable compared to similar places we go and good value for money we thought. We were there for five hours and didn't get round everything. Will definitely be going back.

The restaurant staff are always welcoming and friendly and sensory that all surfaces are kept clean. Alfie, James and Caitlin make the best coffee for many miles around, worth going just for that!

Nice friendly staff but many things were rather pricey - 2 coffees, 1 tea and two bowls of soup £14.95. This is a garden centre cafe, not a posh restaurant. Admission to the leisure activities area for a single child accompanied by an adult is £12. In fairness everything is nice and clean and the food is good but I would regard it as an expensive day out.

This place describes themselves as a country park. What kind of country park doesn’t allow dogs? After driving from north of Aberdeen to visit, 1 washed out A4 printed sign in a poly folder pinned to a fence was all that eluded to the no dogs policy. On inspection of the website, there is a small line of text at the bottom of a page that eludes to this. Their reasoning is that the ‘park’ is designed for families. I suggest they rebrand themselves and describe it as a family activity centre. To call it a country park is entirely misleading. We went to House of Dun. Time better spent!

Visited the other day. First time since changes. Food and coffee was good. However, whilst in the play area, witnessed an employee shouting at a child and then shouting at her mother. He kept going away and then coming back and shouting at them. A number of people were trying to keep him away from them. Very shocking and worrying for child safety and customer care! Don't think I'll be going back.

our visit today was very disappointing. it costing us £44 to get in and £33 for coffee for a total of 2 hours. Whilst enjoying the park the gardener felt it was his place to angrily shout at our child whilst dragging a toy away from them and dumping it to the side. We tried to sort the issue out with the manager but this was difficult with him shouting at us over her. After years of enjoying the centre its safe to say we never let our kids play there again. A park should be a safe environment for children to enjoy not to be targeted by staff with anger issues. We can't fault the manager though and hopefully there will be a new gardener for anyone else's visit. Yours sincerely The 'irresponsible' parent

Visited this lovely garden centre many times and it never disappoints. Something for everyone. Cafe (when not on COVID restrictions) produces excellent food.

There is a good variety of goods on offer in the shop including clothes and kitchen equipment and the garden centre has plants, shrubs as well as pots etc. The cafe is always worth a visit as the cakes on offer are ver ygood..

Visited on a busy Saturday (29th) had a lovely look around the garden centre and decided to go for some lunch, queue was quite large and there did seem to be staff trying to monitor this (unsure of how effective this was) husband had decided on steak pie and said it was delicious, plenty of meat and a proper soggy bottom on the pastry..a real steak pie! I decided to have macaroni and chips again couldn’t fault it. What was did let the visit down however was the speed of service, although through no fault of the staff that was serving as they were well mannered and pleasant, however there was just a one young girl and a chap serving (Dean, accounting to my receipt) my heart went out to them as you could clearly see they were struggling to cope with the queue of customers and the demand as they were doing everything between the two of them. Hats off to them however hopefully it will be a lesson learnt to those in charge to have more staff available on such busy days! Although we didn’t visit the park looked like it had been given some upgrades and we will definitely be back with the grandkids to experience this side of things!

Travelling in torrential rain, our trip to Fife was brightened by a stop for lunch on two occasions at Brechin Castle Garden Centre. The arrangements taking account of the current health restrictions were immaculate and the food was excellent as always. The service was very efficient and always with a smile. Thanks to Alfie in particular.

Popped along with friends today, we all enjoyed an excellent lunch. The efficient service from Alfie who is always so pleasant really brightened up a dreich day. Well done Alfie and your team in those strange times which are the ‘new normal’ for us all on both sides of the counter.Lou lk

Have visited many times and food is always niceToday the visit was spoilt by rude young man behind counter ..... he said he was far too busy to be bothered by my complaint and that if I didn’t like it to put it on Trip Advisor!!!!!Well Alfie thank you for the advice I have done just as you suggested!The complaint was..... that because he was so busy he snatched my contactless card out of my hand and ran it over the card reader before I’d had a chance to do it myself !!! He then handed it back to me without looking at me and proceeded to serve next guest!!!The point of using contactless is so no one else touches it!!! I followed all their sanitation rules for the restaurant and he does this!! Duty Manager Ben was very nice and were it not for him I may never have visited again.... thank you Ben

We stopped off for lunch before visiting relatives and were really pleased at how safe we felt with all the covid precautions they had put in place. We especially liked the signs on the tables that you turned over to say the table need cleaned when you left.The food was delicious and the staff friendly. Nice little shop to browse in too.

We had the most delicious rib eye steaks here on Wed night. Melt in your mouth meat with home made onion rings portobello mushrooms sweet vine tomatoes a choice of 2 sauces ( we had stilton) & chips, could not finish the chips + a coffee all fir £18. Absolutely delicious. They also had curries on offer with this deal.

Took my 94 year old mother out for the first time after shielding for nearly 5 months. We had to clear our own table, I am still waiting to be asked a out track and trace for COVID and the food only came after 35 minutes after my wife prompted them twice Won't be back

What a waste of time. What's the point of a country park you can't walk your dog around?I understand not wanting dogs inside but it's a country park... You're better off heading elsewhere and to a Dobbies if you want a garden centre.

Quick stop off for a light lunch. Picked up the tuna roll which was already plated. Looked ok, with roll, salad, coleslaw and crisps. Unfortunately the bottom of the roll was soggy and were the crisps. Perhaps a re think of how this is served is needed. Very dry roll and not much mayo or seasoning in the tuna either. Pretty bland all round. Coffee was fine and my partner's steak and onion baguette was average. Nothing to rave about but all things that could be easily remedied with just a little effort. Poor for the £19 odd we were for it.

Ordered a cheese and ham toasted brown bread sandwich at lunchtime today. When it arrived it looked very unappealing and the toast was burnt. The filling consisted of one thin slice of ham and a meagre amount of cheese, served with a few crisps and a very small amount of unappetising coleslaw. Also ordered rhubarb tart and, this too, was not very edible, very stodgy. Many years ago would never have passed the Garden Centre as the food was excellent. Was not very happy on our previous visit and I doubt I will be back again.

My wife went for a day surgery at the nearby hospital, all the coffee shops in town were closed as it was a Monday? Thought I would pop in there for lunch as we had driven for two hours to get to the hospital,got very excited when I walked in and saw the biggest menu I had ever seen in a coffee shop and counters with a huge selection of cakes and pastries, only to find there wasn't a single cake or pastry that I could have and only one questionable thing on the massive menu, only an option of Soya milk no oat or alternative, what a disappointment to say the least.

Very good indeed, really nice shops, selling all sorts. Nice garden centre. Plus excellent Cafe. The Scones are amazing and what a size

Stopped in with my daughter and granddaughter today for lunch. Standards have dropped, it used to be really good but lately I’ve found that the food is substandard and the service, much the same. When ordering, one member of staff just stood and stared at me, not sure why as I’ve only got one head and no horns as far as I know.The macaroni cheese was stodgy and overcooked, vegetables were tired and the haggis, neeps and tatties hardly edible.Meringues which Brechin Castle Centre used to excel at, were large, dry and had barely enough cream to make half of it palatable. The baby made a little bit of mess and the staff looked disapproving at us before we left.I will not be returning as this is the second time in a matter of months that we had been disappointed with the bakery.

This is much more than a garden centre. There is a superb cafe, clothes, jewellery, you name it, it’s got it. And there is an Edinburgh Woollen Mill shop inside too. The staff are friendly And approachable, and a great selection of garden plants etc.

while waiting to pay I noticed the woman at the till prepare some hot chocolate drinks for the previous customers, putting the marshmallows into the drinks using her hands. She then put one of the two tray bakes I was buying for takeway into the paper bag by hand also. She seemed totally unaware that staff handling money must not touch food with their bare hands. I stopped her before she touched the second tray bake and it was tipped into the bag without touching. I got a replacement for the first one touched by hand. I thought all staff handling food for customers must receive some training and a test on proper hygiene procedures. It's not possible to know how carefully the food is prepared in the kitchen but certainly at the front counter the staff are not doing it in a hygienic manner.

We called in for cake, tea and a soft on way to Dundee. Service was OK and tables available. Also had a look at toys etc. They still had lots left but really expensive.'

Day out and visited garden centre for lunch. Was going to have soup but size bowl small and price no way. Had 2 x turkey with all trimmings 9 pounds something each. What a laugh. 2 x rubber slices turkey on each plate with some potatoes carrots skirley Worst meal as long as i can remember am 60 years old. C U never again

We just happened to drive past and decided to have a wee look. We both had a cake and something to drink which was good. There seemed to be plenty of choice and the restaurant overlooks the gardens/park. There is a big selection of books, clothing etc and my partner bought me a lovely pair of mittens I picked:)

Often pop in on our way to Aberdeen, always find the food to be reasonably priced & very good and staff friendly and helpful.

Visit here quite regularly due to it having a lot of space and good parking. Huge selection of cakes and good choices of lunch if you don’t mind a cafeteria style set up. The staff are always friendly and are willing to go the extra mile. They always makes the effort to speak whenever we visit even if it is just a hello when they busy. Myself and my husband particularly like James making our coffee because when he has the time we will often get a teddy bear or cat on our lattes, it’s the small gestures that make this place a favourite of ours. The shop has a huge selection also and has recently started making some improvements to the stock sold. I look forward to my next visit to see what else is new

I queued for ages in the one lane cause I didn’t realise there were two.

Extremely rude staff member James. Boy needs to pop a smile instead of scowling at every customer. Incredibly sarcastic, probably thought I was just another stupid customer. Other than that, coffee was decent and the cakes were amazing.

So came back to do the wee treasure spooky hunt & have a wee cake & drink then let the kids burn off some energy! So started off well! Treasure hunt ✔️ Coffee juice & cake✔️ BUT when we went to go outside we were gob smacked at the prices! As in the past the only thing that was available was the jumping balloons! & play park as everything else was closed for a this time of year the youngish lass that was on vaguely waved her hand around the posters behind the till to show what we were paying for!! Well that was absolutely useless for an autistic child who end up in a mood as I wasn’t paying that amount for what what wasn’t explained properly as I was having to deal with my son!!! I have not seen anything about this on the Facebook page so was completely shocked!!!!

Came here for lunch with family. Food is so tasty. Myself and partner had steak pie which is delicious. Daughter had roast gammon. Plenty choice of cakes too. Definitely recommend.

Nice coffee cakes and food outstanding and very very clean.Nice environment.Buy lots from garden centre.Plants are of a very high standard too.They look fantastic in my garden.Staff always on the ball.

First visit here & we would go back but would avoid the cafe. £25 for 2 soup, 2 sandwiches, bottle of water & kids snack box. The sandwiches certainly weren’t fresh as the bread was stale & they charge £4.30 for a pre packed one & nothing healthy for the kids lunch so some fruit or veg would be good to see. Nice & spacious cafe & plenty to chose from for the adults.

Myself and my wife went to the Brechin castle centre for breakfast. We got served by a respectful young gentleman called Alfie. My wife said he has lovely manners for such a young man he seems to be a great part of the staff and recommend him to anyone who comes down to grab a bite to eat.

A wee stop for afternoon tea and cakes and boy what a selection ( both of teas and cakes). We cleverly chose 4 different cakes and quartered them and we all agreed they were all lovely with the salted caramel malteaser slice coming out on top. The blueberry rooibos tea also deserves a special mention

Was visiting with my mum in a wheelchair and found all the staff extremely helpful and courteous. Well done! X

We were back in Brechin visiting our friends, so decided to go to Brechin Castle Garden Centre Restaurant for a light lunch. As usual the choice was vast, making it difficult to choose. Eventually we both decided to have Paninis, one with Bacon, Brie & Cranberry, the other with Cheese served with crisps & Coleslaw. To accompany these we had teas, a coffee & a soft drink, and to follow had Smiddy Loaf and Butterscotch iced sponge. Everything was very good and it was nice to see that tables were cleared and cleaned as soon as they were vacated.

Brilliant lunch here, a wee bit pricey but real good, cakes to die for, plenty of shopping to do here aswell

On visiting Brechin Castle Centre this time, found that Pictavia was no more. Am led to believe that it was run by the council, if so shame on them. Inside the Garden Centre the area which was occupied by Pictavia has now become a shop for Edinburgh Woolen Mill, which if my memory serves me right was incorporated within the garden centre. Also I found that one is being charged for entering the grounds, I'll miss my walk round the grounds and along the side of the lake. On our journey south we looked at the suitcases for sale and decided to purchase one on the way back three days later. Hunting high and low for the suitcases, none could be found on enquiring it was found that they had been moved to the storeroom but I could still purchase one. What is the point of having them in the storeroom and not displaying them if still for sale !!! On the plus side enjoyed the food as always on offer in the restaurant. The Garden Centre is still an enjoyable place to visit. I would suggest that the Garden Centre considers reducing the entrance cost to the grounds, a bit pricey for families. Gave three stars owing toi the charging for going round the grounds.

I took my Grandchildren to Brechin Castle Centre for a day out.

Stopped by for lunch with our three kids. My partner opted for the fish and chips....yuk yuk yuk - assuming it’s frozen as it was disgusting (and they charge almost a tenner for it!) Next, the kids (2 x two year olds and a 3 year old) wanted to go in the play park, as they had done on previous visits, only to be disappointed when we got to the desk to discover that there is now a charge for it. For the five of us it would have been £31 (having just spent £30 in the restaurant!!) Erm, no way!! And to charge for adults?! My toddlers would have spent 10 mins on some swings and that’s it. You’ve got too greedy and we certainly won’t be back - there are very similar (free) facilities in the area - don’t give them any money people! Disgusted.

After years of stopping off here for food and letting the kids have a runaround on my way to Dundee and back we stopped off only to find they have started charging for use of the outside play area. Not only charging for kids (7 pounds each) but 7 pounds for adults too! Although they do have a family charge (2 adults and 2 kids for 22 pounds!) it’s a steep price to pay for a 15-30 minutes runaround before getting some food in the cafe. The food is pretty average and not the cheapest but we were always willing to stop off for the sake of the kids. Sorry but you’ ve just lost 6 paying food customers (including the grandparents we used to meet there) for the short sighted policy of paying for an outside play area.

Good place for a very casual meal that’s quick and easy, food is good and homely. kid friendly, nice staff, clean and tidy

Me, my husband and two children visited the castle centre for the first time and we can happily say that we will be returning, due to the fabulous service by the two young ladies in the coffee shop,Megan and Pamela I believe they were called (going by name tags). Lovely girls helped us pick out meals suitable for our extremely picky children without hesitation, fast service and great to chat too. Made us feel welcome and not a burden! Country park was lovely too, nice day out. Will recommend to friends and family.

I went here with my 3 nephews, sister and mum. It was absolutely brilliant! The fairy trail took about 30 mins to walk round, read all the stories and complete the activities. The children all got a book with the information and activities in it, this kept them going as it was like a treasure trail. It is very, very well put together!

Highly recommend a visit . Suits all ages and by doing the Fairy Trail and Play park first adults have more peace to look around the garden centre.

By far the best day trip. A lot of improvements for the better.

A beautiful place to visit with kids. Plenty for them to play on like basic pedal go carts, a small maze, fairy walk, playpark, Giant balls trampolines and sit on trailer slide. Only problem is cost. £7 a child and £5 an adult to get to the grounds. Also food is expensive so take a picnic or pop put for lunch and come back as wrustband is for the full day. It is beautiful though.

Wow... charging 7 quid per child!! We stopped off having enjoyed eating and playing at this centre over many years of journeying up and down the A90..now to hear we would have to pay 22 quid for a 15 minute run about before we get back in the car is shocking...we had spent nearly 30 quid in the cafe beforehand but with this new system, we won’t be stopping here again... very disappointing

Disappointed you have started charging for entry to the kids play area now. We paid £17.50 to get in and to be honest, apart from the train slide and the maze there doesn't seem to be much else new. The birds of prey have gone. We used to enjoy visiting as entry to the play area was free but we usually had lunch in the restaurant. I think a lot of visitors will be put off having to pay for both now.

Food okay,service good restaurant tables need to be cleared when diners have finished their meals,ready for others.

Visited the excellent garden centre for bits and pieces then took lunch there.

I have known this venue for many years but yesterday’s visit was most disappointing. I chose a packed brown bread coronation chicken sandwich in which the chicken was in huge lumps that kept falling out of the sandwich. They certainly didn’t skimp with that ! The bread was very dry and in no way freshly made. I would have brought it to the attention of staff but they were very very busy at lunchtime.

I work in a children day nursery and we chose to take our 39 school leavers to Brechin Castle Centre’s Country Park for the day. From my very first email to the moment we left at the end of our trip, the staff were amazing. They made us feel so welcome and couldn’t do enough for us.

Brechin castle centre park,, which you now pay for has improved the activities within but would not pay again... although pleasant and a nice day out, they could have done better especially with the pricing being dear,,also don’t do carers for disabled but do not charge for disabled... would rather pay more and go to Carrie maze etc, fairy trail ok but can do with a better path round it, was difficult with wheelchair... hope this helps parents that are used to not paying

A group of friends gathered here to enable the children to let off steam while the adults enjoyed afternoon tea. The Children's area was excellent and they could get close up and personal with a number of wild and domestic animals. The tea room was also excellent with lovely coffee and teas and outstanding scones and cakes. They Garden Centre too was well stocked and very inviting. It is an excellent place to stop just off A90 Dundee to Aberdeen road. We will use it again in the future.

For years, while travelling north with grandchildren, we have stopped off at Brechin Garden Centre for food and to allow the children to play in the fairly basic playing area attached to the centre. While the food is fairly expensive for mediocre quality, we did not mind the cost given that the two children could have a break there. We arrived there yesterday to find that there is now a set charge for entry to the play area of £7 per child and they must be accompanied by at least one adult (although there is absolutely nothing for adults) at a cost of £5 each so the total charge would have been a minimum of £19 for a short break. Needless to say, we drove away and spent nothing.

Coach Party of 80 arrived just after 11am for 2 hour stop. Spoke with Jackie, Catering Manager before trip, everything was delivered as agreed & she even took the time to meet me soon after arrival. Efficient service, well prepared for our party with plenty light lunch options, scones etc even option of late breakfast items. My own tuna sandwich was very good & reasonably priced. No complaints from our group, many shop/garden purchases made especially sandals & shoes at bargain prices. Staff throughout the centre found to be courteous & efficient.

This would have been 3 or 4 stars before they bought charges in for the outdoor area, it's just no longer good value for money. Before, £30 or so for lunch and a decent outdoor area was fine, now it is double that for mediocre food and a play area that isn't even the best in the local area. I have no issue paying for the kids to get in, but having to pay for adults on top of that is just unwarrented, and now am more likely to go to Arbroath or Montrose, both of which have better playpark facilities and places to eat at a much lower cost.

Avoid at all costs, when you enter the play park as we did with two exited 2 year olds the first thing you will notice is the amount of animal dirt on the grass, either dog dirt or fox dirt the grass is covered in it which cant be healthy for any one, if they want to charge full prices then you would think the place would be ready, not a lot is new, some of it was not even opened yet, very dirty feel about the place, way over priced, the café is bleak, the food is questionable certainly nothing for kids, do not trust the dates on the sandwiches, we went to the auld bake house for some quality food for ourselves and the kids, at least the food is fresh and reasonably priced and tasty, will not return to the brechin castle centre ever.

Visited for lunch and was very disappointed. Baked potato was lukewarm and skin resembled old leather. Good selection of goods in retail outlet but rather pricey. Might visit outlet again but doubt if a return visit will be made to cafe/restaurant.

Dissapointed at the level of customer care with the staff in the cafe. Rude amd abrupt. Limited choice on offer early afternoon. Servery looked very poor, hardly any choice on sandwiches. No ice for the cold drinks. This is basic. Huge merringe but no taste. Not even a strawberry. Dissapointing.

A regular haunt to take the grandchildren for lunch and a play on holidays and In-service days from school, we went over the May Day holiday and were surprised to find we had to buy a £22 family ticket to allow the children to play. No discount was offered to those who had spent money in the cafe, which we had in excess of £25. The children are 8 and 11, and the play area was only of interest as it was quiet and they could get access to their age appropriate activities with little queuing. On a busy day with lots of children there certainly wouldn’t be enough to occupy them for the ticket price. I see packed lunches are permitted, so if we did return, we may forego the restaurant and take our own food for the paid play area. The fees for adults are ridiculous and even for kids it doesn’t match what is on offer unless younger children may like a fairy wood etc. Time to seek out a new holiday activity I fear.

Got a surprise when we arrived to the play park as you now have to pay to get in, wouldnt mind paying for the kids but its adults aswell £7 child and £5 fir adults nothing much has changed since when it was free there is now an outside cafe, sledge run and fairy forest but think they need more to charge that kind of prices, for that price id of expected to be there all day but we were done in 3/4 hours tops including stopping for lunch! There was a tractor which pulled small car type things for the kids along which the kids loved brilliant idea but they charge you for that aswell, dont think u should have to pay any more when all adults/kids have just paid to get in the park!! My son jumped in the tractor car before we realised you had to pay extra and we never had any cash my son got really upset as we said he wouldnt be able to go on the ride the grumpy tractor driver was away to lift him out if it hadnt been for a kind lady waiting with her grandchildren who kindly paid for him to go on. Think this park is good but need to think about these new charges u will loose a-lot of business everyone we spoke to at park agreed it was a bit excessive maybe just charge for the kids and free tractor rides might be an idea we certainly wont be heading back any time soon

Had a lunch in the cafe. Had food available but disappointed no salad available especially im on a diet but so many fancy piece for coffee or tea. Place is nice.

Just been to Brechin castle, having been there on several visits over the years for shopping and a cuppa, with no issues, this time round I found myself being charged £17 for 15 minutes entry into the park area, this charge was £7 for a two year old and £5 each for mother and grandparent. my 2 year old grandson couldn’t play on the equipment there as he was too small to play safely on them, very little for his age group . Very disappointing , asked to speak to the manager (Ben), who replied he hasn’t had any complaints before , I replied I find that hard to believe, the reviews posted prove that statement not to be true !!. Won’t be back or recommend to friends and family. Unless something in the overpriced entry changes.

First of all I would like to say that I am local and have been going to the Castle Centre my entire life.... However a recent visit with my now own family left me out of pocket for something that was once the go to place for 5 minutes piece and a scone. The castle centre has done a great job with the recent upgrade but does not add value for money and judging by the mood of the receptionist I was not the only one that felt this way on the day. I would recommend the Castle center reduces prices from £7 kids and yes £5 adults to kids £5 and adult free as this is probably a better assumption as the adult need to supervise their own children as rides and attractions are unattended by staff. The only good point I would like the mention is the food quality has not been affected which is still excellent and we'll priced with a new food van outside serving within the park.

Well done on the new activities in the Country Park, worth every penny, my children had the most amazing time. Anyone with children interested in fairies too, the Fairy Trail is really excellent. (sledge run too).

Light airy and spacious this establishment has an excellent array of food throughout the day starting with breakfast in the morning. Great for a light lunch although lots on offer for those wanting something more filling. I was travelling solo but it lends itself to family group outings.

Have been here loads but today was shocked to see they were charging 7 for kid and 5 each for 2 adults so we left before going in seemed a ridiculous price. What I want to know is OK they decided to charge but why do adults hae to pay £5 we not playing in it we would prefer to sit and have a cuppa and cake. Won't be going back unless change.

My husband and I have taken our grandchildren to Brechin Castle on many occasions. We always have something to eat and take the kids to the outdoor play area. We visited last Friday and after our meal in the restaurant we were making our way to the play area when we were stopped by a member of staff. We were informed that following an upgrade there was now a charge for entry. Adults £5 children over 2 years £7 no concession charge. A family ticket can be purchased for £22. We decided not to go as we had already paid for our meal and the extra charges made it too expensive. Such a shame!

Great place to visit 'child friendly always have a great menu food really good whether it's just a snack or meal and staff always willing to please,nice setting inside and outside. On a good day.