Blair Castle

Blair has been held by the Murrays, Dukes of Atholl, since the thirteenth century, though the building was remodelled twice, first stripped to a Georgian mansion in the 1740s and then restored to castellated form in the 1870s, which is why it reads as white harled Scots baronial. Thirty rooms are open, from a Victorian ballroom panelled in pine and hung with antlers to eighteenth-century plasterwork rooms. Its most unusual feature is the Atholl Highlanders: after a visit in 1844 Queen Victoria granted the Duke the right to bear arms, and the regiment that resulted remains the only legally recognised private army in Europe, parading annually in late May with a Highland games the following day. The grounds hold a nine-hectare walled garden and a grove of very tall conifers.

What you actually see

• The ballroom - pine panelling hung with a large collection of antlers.
• The Atholl Highlanders - Europe's only legal private army, parading each May.
• The two remodellings - Georgian stripping and Victorian re-castellation.
• Hercules Garden - a nine-hectare walled garden with a pond and orchards.

When to go

April to October for the castle and gardens; the Atholl Gathering and Highland games fall in late May and are the main event of the year. Winter opening is very limited.

Honest expectations

Thirty rooms is a long route and takes two hours or more. Photography inside is not allowed. The parade and games days bring large crowds and restricted parking. The castle closes for parts of winter.

Nearby

The Falls of Bruar and Killiecrankie are close; Pitlochry lies south.