Scotland Castle Gardens Road Trip 🏰🌿🚗
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This road trip takes you through Scotland’s most stunning castle gardens, from formal Renaissance landscapes to wild Highland estates. Perfect for garden lovers and history enthusiasts!
🚌 Don’t Want To Drive Or Plan The Trip Yourself?
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I highly recommend checking out the Scottish Castles Experience Rabbie’s Tour.
It hits all the highlights of this itinerary and is a local Scottish company I’ve used many times and their tours and guides are always exceptional.
Scotland Castle Gardens Road Trip Itinerary Summary
📍 Floors Castle, Kelso – Scotland’s largest inhabited house. 🌸🏰
📍 Falkland Palace, Fife (National Trust) – Once a retreat for Mary, Queen of Scots, this Renaissance palace has beauitful gardens and one of the oldest tennis courts in Britain. 🌿🎾
📍 Drummond Castle Gardens, Perthshire – One of the finest formal gardens in Scotland.✨🌳
📍 Crathes Castle, Aberdeenshire (National Trust) – A 16th-century castle surrounded by spectacular gardens. 🌺🏡
📍 Drum Castle – Garden & Estate (National Trust) – One of Scotland’s oldest tower houses. 🌹🌲
📍 Cawdor Castle, Nairnshire – A fairy-tale castle in the Highlands. 🔮🌿
📍 Gordon Castle, Moray – Famous for having one of the largest walled gardens in Britain, beautifully restored with fruit trees, herbs, and colourful borders. 🍏🌼
📍 Dunrobin Castle & Gardens, Sutherland – A stunning Highland castle, known for its formal French-style gardens, inspired by the Palace of Versailles. 🇫🇷✨
📍 Dunvegan Castle & Gardens, Isle of Skye – The ancestral home of Clan MacLeod, featuring lush woodland, waterfalls, and coastal views. 🌊🏞️
📍 Brodick Castle, Isle of Arran – A Victorian Highland estate with spectacular rhododendron gardens, exotic plants, and scenic island views. 🏡🌺
📍 Culzean Castle, Ayrshire – A grand clifftop castle surrounded by beautiful terraced gardens, a deer park, and woodland trails. 🌅🦌
Total Distance: 🚗 Approx. 860 miles
📸 Photos & Info are located further down. Keep scrolling to see all these places. ⬇️
Get the FREE Scotland Castle Gardens Road Trip Map!
🚗 Need a car for this road trip?
If you don’t have your own car, I’d really recommend renting one — it gives you the flexibility to stop at each waterfall and explore at your own pace.
I usually use DiscoverCars to compare prices and find the best deals across different rental companies.
👉 It’s really easy to use:
- Compare multiple providers in one place
- Cheaper than booking direct
- Free cancellation on most options
- Their 3rd party insurance is a lot cheaper
- They have a great customer service for claims (though I hope you won’t have to use it!
Additional Information & Highlights
📍 Floors Castle, Kelso
📍 Falkland Palace, Fife
📍 Drummond Castle 🌳
📍 Crathes Castle
📍 Drum Castle
📍 Cawdor Castle & Gardens
📍 Dunrobin Castle & Gardens
Home of the Earls and Dukes of Sutherland since the 13th century. This is one of the most beautiful castles and gardens in the whole of Scotland and a must do on the NC 500.
🅿️ There are some parking spots right in front of the castle as well as a large overflow car park. Both are free.
🎟️ Tickets can be booked on site or on the official website.
⌛Opening dates: The castle is open from April to October
💡 My Top Tip: There is a member of staff in every room and they are very knowledgeable about the castle and the history of the clan so don’t hesitate to ask them questions.
❤️ My favourite part of the garden was the giant rhubarb. It’s so big! You can even see it from the castle.
🐶Dogs are not allowed in the castle or the gardens.
📍 Dunvegan Castle & Gardens
Home of the chiefs of the clan MacLeod for over 800 years, Dunvegan Castle is the oldest continuously inhabited castle in Scotland.
🅿️ Free parking is available just across the road.
🎟️ Tickets can be booked on site or on the official website.
⌛ Opening dates: The castle is open from April to October
💡 My Top Tip: There is a lot of history with this castle and it’s a great place to learn about the clan and the history of the highlands. Don’t hesitate to ask the members of staff and volunteers some questions as they will tell you some fantastic stories.
❤️ I loved chatting with the staff and one of them mentioned some torture methods that were used and while I was pretty shocked by it, I thought it was very interesting to know especially since it’s not mentioned anywhere else. On a completely different note, I also love the rhododendron woodland trail. It felt very magical and looked like something out of Game of Thrones.
🐶 Dogs are allowed in the gardens but not in the castle.
📍 Brodick Castle
Built in 1510, Brodick Castle used to be the seat of the Dukes of Hamilton and was placed under the care of the National Trust for Scotland in the 50s.
🎟️ Tickets can be booked on site or on the official website. Please note that this is a National Trust property which means you get free entry if you are a member.
⌛ Opening dates: The castle is open from January to October
💡 My Top Tip: Consider getting a National Trust membership as it’s pretty affordable and it will give you access to so many properties and sites all around the UK (Yes, the membership works in Scotland even if you signed up in England, Wales or Northern Ireland)
🐶 Dogs are allowed in the gardens but not in the castle.
📍 Culzean Castle
