COMMENTS FOR THE WEEK SAT 17TH JULY - FRI 23RD JULY 2010

• "Beautiful rooms, tasteful with many flowers and books"........Netherlands
• "Amazing place, lovely gardens".......Germany
• "Great notes! Definately NOT boring"........USA
• "Formidable"......French
• "Wonderful place".........Switzerland
• "Stunning eclectic mix of ancient and modern".........USA
• "A really nice castle and a pleasure to see it"....................Slovenia
• "Gorgeous, we love the feel of it".........USA
• "Magnificent!".............Lithuania
• "Very romantic and interesting"........Belgium

COMMENTS FOR THE WEEK SAT 10TH JULY - FRI 16TH JULY 2010 

• "Lovely, lots of info, humorous too" ..............Canada
• " Fantastic!  And very friendly staff"..........................Poland
• " Different to any other castle I'ver seen before"..................Shetland
• " Good place to visit"............Australia
• " The best castle of this area"..............Spain
• "Beautiful Pelargoniums, my admiration. The castle is marvellous"........Netherlands
• " Wonderful tapestries"................Canada
• "Excellent".......................................Brazil
• "Wonderful and interesting"..........Hungary
• "Braw!"................................ Montrose

 Stars from the X-Factor Set To Shine at Cawdor Castle

CK Events are pleased to announce The Stars from the X-Factor will be performing at the historic venue of Cawdor Castle on Friday 27^th August 2010.

Stacey Solomon, Jamie “Afro” Archer, Danyl Johnson, Ruth Lorenzo and the irrepressible Jedward will be joined by special guests The MacDonald Brothers for a night to remember. Thousands of Highland pop fans will be able to enjoy an evening with their X-Factor favourites.

Les Kidger event promoter said, “We are very excited to be able to bring these, Stars from The X Factor to Cawdor Castle. The show has proved to be a big hit with music fans the length and breadth of the country this year and will be the ideal curtain raiser for a weekend of perfect pop, with Westlife playing the following night.”

The  X Factor live Tour recently played to over 82,000 fans within Scotland, this year alone, and  Irish boys, Jedward have recently finished a sell-out tour of their native Ireland.

MFR’s Knoxy will introduce the stars on the evening and said “Like many others, I was gripped with Jedward-fever last year. I know my listeners will also be so excited to see Stacy Soloman….I can’t wait.

Stacey Solomon was in the final three during series 6 of the X Factor, narrowly missing out on the coveted title, while Jamie “Afro” Archer and Danyl Johnston proved to be firm favourites with their exceptional vocal talents during the final stages of the series.

Ruth Lorenzo makes a welcome return after her success in reaching the final stages of series 5. Her impressive renditions of various pop classics in Spanish and English were a breath of fresh air to the show and fans will be looking forward to enjoying her trademark feisty performances.

Joining the Star of The X Factor as special guests will be The MacDonald Brothers. Veterans of the X Factor series, the Scottish brothers will be the icing on the cake of what will prove to be a night to remember for fans of all ages.

The breadth of appeal of The X Factor is phenomenal added Les Kidger “These acts will appeal to fans young and old, from  all over the North making for a great night out for all the family in the very special setting of the historic grounds of Cawdor Castle.”

With tickets limited to only 6000, a fast sell-out is anticipated for this open air concert, tickets priced at only £25.00 will go on sale at 9am on Thursday 17^th June at www.ticketmaster.co.uk or telephone 08444 99 99 90

The Nokia Coast to Coast (W/E 18/19 September) is part of The Nokia Outdoor Series - a selection of events designed to celebrate the great outdoors and enable you and your friends to enjoy being active in some of the UK’s most spectacular locations.

Imagine a route that traverses one of the most famous mountain landscapes in the world by bike, foot and boat; a journey that covers just over 100 miles, including a marathon-worth on foot; a journey that takes in some of the most iconic locations and amazing views in the Scottish Highlands: Loch Ness, the Great Glen, Ben Nevis and Glen Coe.

This is a challenge open to all adventurers. Some will come to win; some purely to finish; many just to take part. All will leave having enjoyed being active with friends in this spectacular setting. Nokia Coast to Coast is a truly defining journey through the mystery and lore of this ancient landscape.

In addition Nokia are sponsoring the Cawdor 10k on the morning of Sunday 19th September from Nairn to the Castle. For more details see Events.

Albert Roux OBE and Maître Cuisinier de France is to open Living Food at Cawdor Castle on Saturday 25th September 2010 at 10am.The multi-award winning chef, often cited as the most influential of his profession, visited the castle last year and fell in love with it. As soon as he heard about Living Food he immediately asked to get involved. This has delighted resident demonstration chef Charley Lockley, himself the proud owner of a Michelin Star and Scotland Chef of the year in 2009. As a direct result Charley is pulling together a group of young Scottish Chefs to take part in this year's event.

Last year Mr Roux announced his plans to take-over the kitchens of Rocpool Reserve, Inverness. Chez Roux, as it is now known, opened on 1 April 2009. Mr Roux said: "When I was first invited to Rocpool Reserve I was astounded by the hotel's elegance and style, which I think is unrivalled outside London. Inverness is also a city which, despite its small size, has an exciting restaurant scene, and a great culture for dining out."

Mr Roux has also arranged for his Head Chef at Chez Roux, Stephen Murray, to provide a cooking demonstration at this years event.

Treat your staff to the highlight of this years Highland calendar. A champagne reception followed by a three course dinner in the castle restaurant, prepared by Head Chef Ian Roberts. VIP parking and access to to the VIP tent and, of course, your ticket to 'WESTLIFE' and their supporting acts on the evening of Saturday 28th August. All for £195 plus VAT. For bookings ring 01667 404401. 30 tickets left as at 12th April.

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BIGGEST SELLING BAND OF THE DECADE TO PLAY THE FIRST CAWDOR CASTLE CONCERT CK Events Ltd are proud to present Westlife at the historic venue of Cawdor Castle on Saturday 28th August 2010 With 14 UK number one singles, 7 number one albums and 45 million worldwide record sales to date, Westlife are undoubtedly one of the biggest artists touring the UK this year. CK Events director, Les Kidger said, We are obviously thrilled to have secured Westlife for the first ever concert at Cawdor Castle. It is a magnificent location and they are a perfect fit for the audience we are aiming to attract to this exclusive venue. This is sure to be a great day out for all and we are looking forward to bringing many more artists of this calibre to Cawdor Castle over the next 5 years. CK Events are delighted to be working with the Cawdor family on this exciting venture. Nicky, Kian, Mark and Shane have played in front of 83,000 fans at Croke Park in Dublin, and are embarking on a nationwide tour from May, in support of their 10th studio album release the double platinum selling Where We Are. CK Events, the Highlands premier events promoter, recently signed a 5-year deal to bring high profile artists to this historic venue and have achieved a major coup in delivering the UKs biggest selling band of the last decade for the inaugural concert. This summer weekend date, offers an ideal opportunity for locals and visitors to the Highlands to experience the ambience and stunning setting of Cawdor Castle whilst enjoying the awe-inspiring talents of Westlife. Located 10 miles from Inverness, Cawdor Castle has been home to the Cawdor family since it was originally built in the 14th Century and is renowned for its beautiful gardens and idyllic setting. We aim to bring Cawdor Castle firmly to the fore as a concert venue for major artists. Mr Kidger commented, Cawdors proximity to Inverness with its excellent transport links to the rest of the UK and wide range of accommodation, make it an ideal setting for such events. We have ample parking spaces, fantastic access to the site and have been working closely with Cawdor Castle, Northern Constabulary and Highland Council officials to ensure the smooth running of the event. With ticket demand expected to be high for this open air concert, tickets priced £42.50 will go on sale through Ticketmaster on Friday 9th April at 9am at www.ticketmaster.co.uk or telephone 08444 99 99 90.

New for 2010 is the Slate Garden, which is a new development within the Flower Garden. For the last five years Cawdor Castle has had extensive roof works undertaken; re-roofing the whole of the Castle which has not been done for over 250 years. The slates removed from the Castle roof have been made into a slate fountain by a young Scottish artist called James Parker. The slate fountain is a large sphere and the water drops into a bowl made from the lead that has come from the Castle roof. The garden beds are in the shape of the Saltire, the Scottish flag, and are planted with a large variety of shrubs and ferns.