Welcome to Blair Castle, the magnificent ancient seat of the Dukes and Earls of Atholl, Scotland’s most visited historic house and the home of the Atholl Highlanders, Europe’s only remaining private army.

An extensive castle tour takes in some 30 rooms crammed full of treasures and alive with the characters and personalities of their former occupants. Features of particular interest include an impressive ballroom bedecked with 175 pairs of antlers, the superb China Room (a display of more than 1700 individual pieces including Coalport and blue Dresden) and an ornamental armoury which includes targes and muskets used at the Battle of Culloden. Summer visitors can also enjoy the traditional sound of the Scottish bagpipes played by our piper three times daily during the summer months.

Blair Castle is at the hub of a breath-taking historic landscape most of which was laid out in the 18th century and features a magnificent 9 acre walled garden recently restored to its original Georgian design, a peaceful wooded grove, a ruined Celtic kirk, a red deer park and a whimsical gothic folly. Colourful peacocks roam the grounds, Highland cattle graze in fields nearby and the native red squirrel can often be spotted in the branches of the trees. Children will also enjoy the castle’s woodland adventure playground.

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

New for 2009
To make family visits extra special in 2009, Blair Castle is hosting weekly Family Friendly Days packed with loads of FREE activities for all the family to enjoy.

Join us for a fun-filled tractor and trailer ride around the grounds, take a special children’s tour of the castle, listen to the marvellous tales of our storytellers, take part in a treasure hunt around the castle grounds and drop in to see the lovely Highland ponies at the castle Trekking Centre.

All these extra activities are free to families as part of the standard castle admission price on Family Friendly Days.

Family Friendly Days will run weekly every Saturday from 4 April to 27 June, then every Friday from 3 July to 21 August.

Download your own Blair Castle leaflet by clicking on the image (left)

Download our latest newsletter (file size 300kb)