Traquair House

Day visit. Hard working cafe staff making fabulous food. Took two cakes for our tea. Then, I decided to buy a quiche to take away for our evening meal. It was delicious. The gardeners keep the grounds in the old walled garden well looked after and cultivated. Thanks to them, especially for looking after the dedicated rowan tree in the top far corner of the garden.

Traquair House was the perfect spot for our elopement. Everything about our wedding and two night stay here was perfection. It is an understatement to say it was a dream come true. Thank you so much Gillian and Angela! You made us feel so welcome and we thoroughly enjoyed the cozy room, delicious food and lovely company. I feel so lucky to have my memories of my wedding here. Thank you!

If you're used to visiting houses managed by national organisations and trusts, then Traquair House will come as a very pleasant surprise. It's definitely quirky, a bit eccentric and has a wonderful warm atmosphere to it. Perhaps it's because the family still live here - Scotland's oldest inhabited house. We had wanted to visit here for some time and it didn't disappoint. It's easy to find with lots of parking and we were greeted on arrival in the car park by a very sweet dog, apparently the owner's. We had free entry as Historic House members but we did spend almost 5 hours here. At the house, we were met by Jan, one of the guides who gave us a very entertaining introductory talk and then showed us to a room playing a film giving a brief background of the house. The history and stories of the house are amazing and all credit to the guides, particularly Jan and Fraser who both have such warm enthusiasm for the house and have clearly researched extensively. I was unable to visit the upstairs as the stairs are the narrow spiral type so I visited one of the wings while my partner visited upstairs. Jan joined me and the time flew by as she talked extensively about the unusual items in the dining room plus the characters - I could have listened a lot longer, thank you, Jan! Then to the brewery shop to sample some ale (the Jacobite ale is a bit marmite!) and the usual gift shop. We then visited the cafe for lunch where, sadly, the experience was a bit of a let down. It was a warm day so all the tables outside were taken and there was little atmosphere inside. Our diet cokes were warm and my partner's toastie was barely toasted and my cullen skink was unusual, being a broth with huge undercooked pieces of potato and skinny pieces of fish. We had heard the assistant say a couple of times that they were under staffed so decided to make the best of the food but unfortunately I found a rather large bone in the soup. We did show this to the assistant who apologised. We tried some cake but it was a little stale. Service was good but we felt the bill was high for the quality of food. Back out to the gardens where we enjoyed a river walk alongside some very beautiful trees, we particularly admired the yews here. We dawdled along until we reached the house and then the walled garden where we spotted a deer munching some cake that had been dropped on the ground! All in all, we would return to visit the house and grounds but probably not the cafe.

We visited Traquair House for the day, the main draw card being the hedge maze - we are from Australia so don't see them much, and it was my dream to get lost in one... and we did! But we found so much more on offer there as well... So much history to absorb, beautiful grounds and outbuildings, ancient trees, super friendly and knowledgeable staff, it was an amazing day out for adults & kids alike. Have already told everyone how amazing it is, definitely recommend!

Unfortunately, our stay didn’t live up to expectations. While the location and gardens were great, the room lacked warmth and felt a bit worn out. We were also disappointed that guests aren’t allowed to explore the house after hours, especially since staying in a historic home was part of the appeal. Sadly, the house is showing its age—wallpaper peeling and an overall tired feel—which made it hard to justify the higher price tag. The breakfast was just okay, and the experience left us feeling more underwhelmed than expected. *As an update to my comment: I was a guest here in early October, and it was 1000% under my name - obviously, an old house will have its quirks, but you have to keep certain parts up to date for guests....

An amazing place, full of history, family owned and homely. Has strong connections with Mary, Queen of Scots and 27 other visiting Kings. Plenty to see, and there's even a brewery and B&B on site. Plenty of parking a short walk away and a cafe which we didn't try. Craft shops in the barns.

Love visiting this place but on this last occasion the resident dog followed us the whole way around our walk and made a complete nuisance of itself. We have a rescue dog who is always on the lead and doesn't always like off lead dogs coming up to him. It spoiled our walk and I felt like we had to run around the walk to get away from the other dog.

We visited the house and grounds. The house is a wonderful place to explore. It has a historic and very personal feel. The grounds and hedge maze are really lovely, and we enjoyed browsing in the artisan shops.

A medieval event at Traquair House! This weekend we visited a medieval fayre with a Jousting tournament, Falconry Display (of which the falcon flew away and did not return - for what I know), various minstrels singing medieval aged songs, performers informing us about various crafts and an enthusiastic executioner giving me an earful of stories about various torture instruments. What can I say: "Am I glad, I live today"! We also tried our expertise in Long Bow Archery and my arm can still feel some pain. Well, it was worth it! The house is the center point of the area and dates back to 1107 when it was used as a hunting lodge for the Kings and Queens of Scotland. In 1491 it was given to James Stuart, who became the first Laird of Traquair, and remained since then in the same family. It was renovated in the late 90's and its outer walls are painted white. You would not think that this place is so old, except if you look at the occasional dodgy windows. The inside is well maintained. There is a dressing room, library, priest room (which was a secret room during the catholic unrest), kings and queens room, main drawing room, dolls room with a fantastic doll house on display, as well as some scary looking porcelain dolls from various countries.You can also find some of the Jacobite and other relics in the museum, which were used by Mary Queen of Scots and her son James, like the baby cradle. At the entrance you will find locked gates, which won't be unlocked until a Stuart will be back on the throne once more! And not to forget the maze - best one I have ever conquered. The place has its own brewery and sells Ale's. Its open all year: Daily from 29th March - 14th April 2013; 1st May - 31st October 2013 The next fayre takes place end of July and projects the hippy 60's. Why not have some outdoor fun!

A wonderful tour, gardens, BEER, garden maze, animals for the kids. Fantastic place to picnic and visit seeing some wonderful history and heritage. A family favorite!