The gardens date back to the time of William Douglas, the 1st Duke of Queensberry, and work began on them around 1689. They extend to over 70 acres and include great formal parterres, dells, rockeries and charming summer houses as well as many impressive trees and a collection of rare shrubs from China.
There is also the newly restored Victorian Greenhouse, a vegetable garden and a plant centre selling a wide range of quality plants, many of them raised in the gardens.
During spring, the air is filled with the scent of flowering azalea making the walk through the wooded glades filled with bluebells, specimen trees and shrubs even more enjoyable. See one of the first Douglas Firs planted in the country and the tallest weeping Beech in the British Isles. Stop and rest in one of the recently restored Victorian heather houses and take in the view.
There’s the Castle Shop, Stableyard Studios, Visitor Centre and the Scottish Cycle Museum. Today this magnificent country estate boasts a network of dedicated waymarked paths and woodland trails for wildlife enthusiasts, walkers and mountain bikers of all abilities.
The Castle Tearoom serves delicious home baking and light meals using the estate's very own reared meat and the freshest local produce.
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