great castles

Here are the famous Scottish castles located close to the Hotel:

• Blair Castle
• Castle Menzies
• Glamis Castle
• Scone Palace

Blair Castle

The ancient seat of the Dukes and Earls of Atholl. The castle enjoys one of Scotland's finest settings in the heart of Highland Perthshire.

With its roots in the 13th century, Blair Castle's history extends over some 740 years, during which time it has welcomed countless generations of visitors. At the gateway to the Grampian Mountains on the route north to Inverness, the location was highly strategic. Today we can enjoy the wild beauty of the surrounding landscape but centuries ago it was a threatening and dangerous place.

One of the first private homes to open to the public in Scotland, Blair welcomes more visitors than any other.

Blair Castle is located in Perthshire near the village of Blair Atholl. Truly one of Scotland's very finest visitor attractions.

Open daily from 1 April to 30 October 10am - 6pm (last entry 5pm ). 32 rooms are open to the public for viewing. You can also walk around the grounds. Telephone +44 1796 481207 for details. Private tours all year round by arrangement.

If you are driving along the main A9 road, the best place to stop and take a panoramic shot of Blair Castle and the surrounding countryside is at layby 50. When heading south you have a better view from the road than when heading north.

For more information, visit:

• www.blair-castle.co.uk

Castle Menzies

This spectacular sixteenth century castle, restored by the Menzies Clan Society, welcomes visitors. Seat of the Chiefs of Clan Menzies for over 400 years and importantly situated, it was involved in the turbulent history of the Highlands and here Bonnie Prince Charlie rested on his way to Culloden in 1746.

Architecturally fascinating, it is a splendid example of the transition between an earlier rugged fortress and later mansion house and contains many features of interest together with a number of family portraits, specimen pieces of furniture and a small clan museum. There is also a walled garden.

Glamis Castle

'A place of legends and fairytales.' Family home of the Earls of Strathmore and Kinghorne and a royal residence since 1372. Childhood home of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, birthplace of Her Royal Highness The Princess Margaret and legendary setting for Shakespeare's famous play 'Macbeth'.

As you drive down the mile long avenue, flanked in Spring by swathes of yellow and cream daffodils, or by the autumn colours of the rows of ancient trees, you will not fail to be touched by the magic of Glamis.

Glamis Castle is known as one of the most haunted castles in Britain. It certainly has more stories and legends attached to it than any other castle within the British Isles, perhaps with the exception of Hermitage Castle in the Scottish Borders.

Scone Palace

Scone is a place that breathes history like nowhere else in Scotland. Today, in the 21st century, it is the home of the Earls of Mansfield, and a major attraction to visitors from all over the world. Fifteen hundred years ago, it was the capital of the Pictish kingdom and the centre of the ancient Celtic church. In the intervening centuries, it has been the seat of parliaments and the crowning place of Kings. It has housed the Stone of Destiny and been immortalised in Shakespeare's Macbeth.

Poised above the River Tay, the Palace overlooks the routes north to the Highlands and east through Strathmore to the coast. The Grampian mountains form a distant backdrop, and across the river stands the city of Perth. Two thousand years ago, the Romans camped here, at the very limit of their empire. They never defeated the warlike Picts, who later came to rule Scone, but the followers of St Columba had more success. By the early 7th century, a group of early Christians, the Culdees or servants of God, had established themselves here.

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