The day I… inherited an unwanted castle: TV presenter Sarah Mack shares her story

I am probably best known for my work with Grampian TV, STV’s The People’s History Show and the BBC’s rural affairs programme Landward.

But, in a strange and serendipitous way, my life has come full circle from my time in Glasgow, where I was born, to the Aberdeenshire farming roots I didn’t realise I had until the past decade or so.

The way that happened was all by chance and timing.

My father, William Watson, was killed by the IRA while serving with the Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders in Northern Ireland in the 1970s. He died in the November and I was born in the December.

I never knew him, but his father had a farm somewhere between Perth and Dundee.

My mum stoically carried on, raising me and my older sister, who was two at the time. Very happily, two years later, she met and married my dad, Douglas Mack, who was a doctor in Glasgow.

This lovely man raised us as his own. They went on to have two sons – my brothers – and we are a very happy family.

I grew up, went into broadcasting and it was while I was working at Grampian TV that I met my husband, David Stephen, on a night out in Aberdeen.

He was a farmer who farmed at Barra Castle near Oldmeldrum with his dad.

We married within a year and a half of meeting and soon had a surprise baby – Harry, now 14. We then had Seb, now 12, Jamie, 10, and Robby, 8, who were each born 20 months apart.

Everything was quite bish, bash, bosh and it was a bit scary because I went from being a working woman to living in the countryside and being a mum.

I inherited the castle, which needed complete restoration, with David because his dad no longer wanted it.

We farm berries, Barra Berries, run a seasonal farm shop and café, and have created a wonderful wedding venue in the castle grounds and holiday homes in our historic, fully-renovated lodges.

My mum was always very keen that my sister and I know a lot about our history and about where we came from because our lives had moved on so much.

Coincidentally, a family member investigated our family tree and sent the information to my mum who then sent it on to me. On it, there was a geographical pin in Newmachar. So there must have been a farm in the family around Newmachar which is, as the crow files, just two or three miles from our own farm here at Barra Castle.

One day I went for a little jaunt because I had seen the name for the farmhouse and I thought, “I’m going to go and look for it”. But I never did find it. There is an interest latent within me to find out more about the farming that is in my blood.

There is equally an interest in me to find out about dad’s mother, Helen Mack.

She went to university and was one of the first female presenters and producers on the BBC, which I understand was exceptional in her day.

My grandmother was a very cultured and progressive woman.

She had a massive influence on my dad.

So I am connected to farming through my late father, and broadcasting through my dad. It’s an interesting turn of events.

It’s a busy time at the farm just now and with our wonderful holiday lets and events and weddings venue.

We are also renovating our farm shop to double its seating capacity.

Alongside my creative and broadcasting work I am also keen to promote Aberdeenshire to tourists and am part of the Aberdeen and Grampian Chamber of Commerce Vanguard movement that aims to reinvent the future economy of the region in the face of the decline in its oil industry.

There is potential for this area to reinvent itself, but it won’t happen overnight.

This little corner of Scotland has a huge amount of potential and I want to bang the drum about it a bit more. I am very passionate about it.

I never dreamt in a million years I would meet a farmer, get married and be living in castle.

I never really thought about where I was going to end up – never.

There was no grand plan.

It took me a long time to adapt to living on the farm and the farming way of life.

Everything was new to me – getting married, having children – but now I would never want to live anywhere else.

I love the lifestyle and I love where we live.

I guess it was just destined to be…