📌 Blackness, West Lothian
★★★
The House of the Binns is a grand country home set on the side of a hill (or ben – which became corrupted to give the name “Binns”) above the tidal Forth close to Blackness Castle. Despite being cared for by the National Trust for Scotland, the property is still home to the family who originally built it: the Dalyells, who have lived here for over 400 years. The excellent tours are fully guided, usually accompanied by the screeching of the estate’s resident peacocks, and designed so you visit the most impressive rooms towards the end. Among the highlights are a particularly fine ceiling commissioned for an expected visit of Charles I in 1633 which never came to fruition, paving stones from Edinburgh‘s Princes Street, and stories of a 66 year-old sea anemone named Granny (yes, really). Photography wasn’t permitted inside during my 2025 visit for insurance reasons. Afterwards, it’s worth taking the short hike up to the estate’s highest point at Binns Tower. This folly was allegedly the result of a wager over who could come up with the most frivolous way to waste £100 – the construction of this tower being the winning suggestion.
🌍 Location
📌 Off the A904 1 mi south of Blackness
🧭 O.S. Grid Reference: NT 051786
🛰️ GPS coordinates: 55.990652,-3.523100
🚌 Bus stops on A904, near entrance to grounds but 0.5 mi from the house
🚗 Car park
📝 Key info
⌚ House open daily, Thursday to Monday, 20 March to October 2025 – by prebooked guided tour only. Grounds: daily
🎫 House: £13.50 adult / £8 child / free for National Trust for Scotland members. Grounds: free
