5 excursions to do in Perthshire: 3) Blair Castle
Blair Castle is one of the most famous Scottish castles and it has been involved in many crucial events throughout its long history. Indeed, Blair Castle dates back to 1269 and has been transformed from the original medieval fortress to a Georgian Mansion and then to the Victorian castle we can see today.
The tour of its interior – 30 rooms with multilingual informational leaflets in each one – allows you to discover more than 700 years of history as well as the role played by the Dukes and Earls of Atholl during the political struggles across the country.
Not only that, you will know more about the visit here of Mary Queen of Scots, Bonnie Prince Charlie and finally Queen Victoria. Besides that, Her Majesty’s stay led to the creation of Atholl Highlanders, the last private army survived in all Europe.
Once you have finished the visit inside go exploring the Blair Castle Gardens and Grounds. Located in an breathtaking landscape remodelled in the 18th century, they offer many things to do and see.
Starting from the Hercules Garden, restored in 1996 to the original Georgian style, is a lovely walled garden including several trees, vegetables, 18th century sculptures and a lake crossed by a Chinese bridge. It’s the perfect place where to relax and one of my personal highlights of the day.
Closer to the castle you find the Diana’s Grove, a woodland that boasts some of the finest and tallest trees of the nation. At the border, overlooking the “white” fortress, there’s also an adventure playground for children.
Situated adjacent to the castle, the Tullibardine Restaurant offers a huge buffet of hot and cold meals. I suggest you to try the homemade muffins and scones.. yummy 🙂
How to arrive to Blair Castle and visitor information
The bus service n. 87 operated by Elizabeth Yule links Pitlochry to Blair Castle and stops just in front of the entrance.
The castle is open 9:30am-5:30pm from 1st of April to 31st of October, with last admission at 4:30pm.
There’re two kinds of tickets available that permit to visit the castle as well as the gardens or just these ones. Fares may be subject to changes, for more info visit Blair Castle official website.
Finally, please note that photography is not allowed inside the house, apart from the Ballroom.
Discover excursion 1 | Discover excursion 2 | Discover excursion 4 | Discover excursion 5
