Blair Castle & Gardens

Discover Blair Castle, the ancient seat of the Dukes and Earls of Atholl and home to the Atholl Highlanders, the last remaining private army in Europe.

Blair Castle is nestled in the dramatic landscape of Highland Perthshire and has been home to 19 generations of Stewarts and Murrays of Atholl.

Unique amongst Scottish castles, the story told here will take you from a visit by Mary Queen of Scots to the Civil War and from the Jacobite cause to the disaster of Culloden following Bonnie Prince Charlie's own stay in the castle. You'll hear how the lucky inheritance of a smuggler-infested island helped turn the castle into a comfortable home and how a stay by Queen Victoria led to the creation of Europe's only surviving private army.

You can view 30 rooms in Blair Castle, each alive with characters from the past. Scenes such as a Victorian nursery bring history to life, and exhibitions reveal more about subjects including the Atholl Highlanders regiment.

Look out for the baronial entrance hall and ornamental armoury featuring muskets used at the Battle of Culloden, the classic Georgian styling of the Picture Staircase and fascinating pieces of antique furniture, art and tapestry.

Outside Blair Castle, the Hercules Garden, recently restored to its original Georgian design, is a peaceful walled garden of fruit trees, vegetables and herbaceous borders. Diana's Grove boasts some of the country's finest and tallest trees.

For a special view of the castle and the historic landscape, take a short stroll to 18th century folly the Whim, for the view from its gothic arches.

Blair Castle has been awarded a Gold Green Tourism Award.