Blair Castle & Gardens

📌 Blair Atholl, Perth & Kinross
★★★★★

Seat of the Dukes and Earls of Atholl for more than 700 years, Blair Castle is one of Scotland’s most magnificent castles, set amongst wonderful Perthshire scenery on the southwest edge of the Cairngorms. The original castle dates to 1269, though later earls carried out several remodelling projects to transform it into the grand residence of today. The house has been open for tours since 1936 and is now one of Scotland’s most extensive, with no fewer than thirty rooms on show ranging from drawing rooms, dining room and bedrooms to the elegant, wooden-ceilinged ballroom. There are also extensive grounds to explore. Set around a waterfowl-filled pond, the walled garden is the obvious highlight, but the shady Diana’s Grove, ruined St Bride’s Kirk and the red deer park are all worth seeing too (though the deer were a bit shy on our visit). Finally, the wider Atholl Estate spans well over 100,000 acres of beautiful countryside, with miles of (free) walking trails to discover; check out our interactive map below for a few route ideas.