Blair Castle & Gardens

Great visit of the Blair Castle located in its grounds near the village of Blair Atholl in Perthshire. It is the ancestral home of the Clan Murray, and was historically the seat of their chief, the Duke of Atholl, though the current (12th) Duke, Bruce Murray, lives in South Africa. The castle stands in Glen Garry, and commands a strategic position on the main route (A9 road) through the central Scottish Highlands. It has many interesting signs of masonry as the 6th Duke George was the Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Scotland.

This visit was special. Some of my family comes from this region. Part of the Robertson clan was interesting learning about the history here. Very clean spot. Lots to do. Caravan park and gift shop and a small town area to visit. The castle was neat and set up to tour. Not too expensive for the park and visit. 17£. The castle had 3-4 stories with 30 or more rooms to view. History back to the 3rd crusade. Worth the visit if you like history.

Absolutely breathtaking tour through this super well preserved property. They have a free app you can listen to facts about each of the rooms. It was a good mix of engaging and educational. We spent maybe 90 min in the castle and then an hour or so exploring the grounds outside. Highly recommend!!

This was my favorite castle of the trip. I came here pretty late, maybe around 430 and they were kind enough to warn us about the lack of time as well as make recommendations on where to spend time in the castle. What they didn't tell us was how lovely the last few rooms are, and I definitely recommend planning your trip with an additional half hour to spare in the jewel room and the china room, there's so much for the eye to see it can definitely be overwhelming. Even if they are not your thing, they are well marked and preserved, the lace in the china room was exquisite too. Look to spend about 2.5 hours in the castle total, since there are gardens to see as well The building is well maintained and managed and i loved the gold thistles that were on the chairs through the various rooms. Lots of hunting afficianados will like the place too, lots of guns on the walls as well as heads of game decorate the place. The grand ballroom is lovely too, they have a little casket on the side with clothes for kids to wear for photos Diana's grove was lovely, all the redwoods and the bridges with mini rivers made you feel like you weren't really near civilization or a castle. I would spend more time here vs Hercules' garden

Enjoyed a very good value visit to the gardens here last weekend. Like most places the site is having to cope with the ongoing virus situation but all the visible precautions which have been taken were sensible and didn't detract from the overall experience. It is though a bit questionable, in terms of carbon footprint, having branded jams etc. manufactured by a firm in Plymouth. Surely, like the fridge magnets for sale, such products could be made closer to home with the castle garden supplying a large amount of the fruit and veg for them as well?

Friends and I went here back in May on an unscheduled stop. This place was awesome, we unitnentally walked down the long driveway to the estate but even that was fun to see the grounds. The staff at the ticket both was very friendly, there was a guy playing bagpipes as if it was meant just for us, the staff inside was very friendly and knowledgeable and got mad at my friend for referring to a certain show as "Down-town Abbey" made for a good laugh. The castle itself and the unique history is more interesting and different than what you'll see at most other mainstream castles.

A white and dreamy castle in the middle of nowhere! Don't take me wrong - that's the fascinating part. The castle is surrounded by nature and there is plenty of space to enjoy the outdoors. It's the ancient seat of the Dukes and Earls of Atholl with a bloody history attached. However, when visiting the castle and checking out the interior you wont notice anything cruelsome. I visited this place twice and still I did not get the mesmerizing feeling of fascination as with other castles. The interior is grand, lots of wood paneling and dead animal heads and weapons on the walls. Actually I was quite fascinated by the amour and weaponry from previous centuries. There is a restaurant for refreshments and I believe you can also stay on the estate and book a holiday get away. One day I will be back to go walking/trekking through the nearby deer park and to the the ruins of St Bride's Kirk which has its ancient origins in Celtic times. Maybe my rating will go up then. Its only 1.5h away from Edinburgh and a day trip worth!

I really enjoyed my visit to Blair Castle thanks to the staff. I spoke with three ladies at Blair Castle and they were enthusiastic and happy to share with me all kinds of interesting information about the Castle and it's inhabitants. I want to give a great thanks to the young French staff member that took extra time to show me around the castle and to answer all of my questions. Blair Castle has a lot of impressive decorations with rifles and even porpoise tusks! Some of the rooms were so lavish and I was amazed to find that the lady of the castle actually stitched the furniture there. I really enjoyed the bag piper in front of the Castle even in the rain he plays! And the cute highland cows that they keep as pets.

So this white estate doesn't immediately bring to mind "Castle" but it is impressive inside. 700 hundred years old with 30 rooms. Owned by The Atholl family it has such a rich Scotts history. The exhibitions takes you over the 19 generations of Stewart's and Murrays of Atholl. Adventures, politicians, Jacobites, Royalists and soldiers. I never knew the Isle of Mann was owned by James II but he was forced to sell the sovereignty back to the government. A piper plays the bagpipes on the hour which gives the grounds a fab atmosphere. The rooms are adorned with beautiful paintings, wallpapers, tapestries and magnificent plasterwork by Thomas Clayton. Chippendale furniture, drapes, marble fireplaces, collection of arms and armour and China complete the wonderful array of things to see. Queen Victoria fell in love with the highlands and had a long stay at Blair castle in 1844. Queen Victoria showed her gratitude by allowing the Atholl guards to carry the Queens colours and thus bear arms. This is unique and the Atholl highlanders are the only European private army today. The grounds are a real treat. The 9 acre walled Hercule's garden has been restored to its original Georgian design. In the winter in past times they played curling on the pond. We had a tractor ride with a gentleman that was once the head stalker at Blair. He explained details of the grounds pointing out things of interest. So much history and a wealth of things to see, lovely day out. Xoxo

Nestling like a white jewel in the dramatic Highland Perthshire Landscape, Blair Castle has a fascinating 700 year history just waiting to be discovered Famous as the last castle to be held under siege in 1746, Blair Castle is the ancient seat of the Dukes and Earls of Atholl and the home of the Atholl Highlanders, Europe's only remaining private army. Up to 30 rooms are on display, full of treasures and alive with the characters and personalities of their former occupants. Highlights of the visit include; the magnificent ballroom bedecked with 175 pairs of antlers: the superb china room featuring more than 1700 individual pieces and an ornamental armoury housing a targe used at the Battle of Culloden. There are also paintings by Sir Edwin Landseer and Johann Zoffany, fine Mortlake tapestries and plasterwork by Thomas Clayton. Blair Castle is set at the hub of a breathtaking historic landscape most of which was laid out in the 18th century and features a magnificent 9 acre walled garden, a peaceful wooded grove, a ruined kirk, a red deer park and a whimsical gothic folly. A delightful sculpture trail around the gardens incorporates contemporary and 18th century sculpture as well as eight new works, letter-carving on stone, from the Memorial Arts Charity's Art and Memory Collection. Colourful peacocks roam the grounds, Highland cattle graze in fields nearby and native red squirrels can often be spotted amongst the branches. Children will also enjoy the castle's woodland adventure playground.

A fantastic place to visit in both sunny and more inclement weather. Tickets for the grounds alone cost around £4 and for the grounds and castle double that. The grounds are extensive and have lots of interest - a walled garden, woodland, even red deer - and included in the ticket price is access to the shop, restaurant and toilets. The restaurant is rather pricey (to be expected) and self-service but of a decent quality and with friendly staff and pleasant enough surroundings (especially if you're a fan of tartan). The castle itself has 30 gorgeously-decorated rooms, each with many points of interest and the historical background described. We went during a relatively quiet period and I imagine that it could get quite busy during peak times, and so it is well worth trying to visit during a quieter time. We both had tired legs by the end and we were able to go around at our own pace! Overall, well worth a visit and if you like pipers it's worth trying to coincide with the regular performances.