Drummond Castle

Drummond Castle was the first stop on my dad and I's road trip across Scotland, in late August 2023. On our original itinerary, that I spent hours pouring over, we were going to stop at the House of Bins first, followed by Linlithgow Palace.   

However, we unexpectedly waited hours to pick up our rental car in Edinburgh, so, I decided we should just head straight to our 3rd destination as it seemed the most impressive. We drove on the other side of the road, for the first time, hitting curbs straight out of the gate, for a little over an hour.

The turn off the highway to Drummond, leads you onto a very long and narrow tree-lined driveway. It's quite an entrance. We actually pulled over to take pictures.

The gardens at Drummond Castle are spectacular. They were used in the series Outlander as a stand-in for the gardens at the Palace of Versailles.

The castle itself is not open to the public, which is a shame. I'd have loved having a wee nosey - a phrase I'd learn later in the day from our tow-truck driver. That's a story for another page...

There are two buildings, a 15th century tower house and a mansion built in the 17th. It's hard to believe it's a private home. 

The views from the top of the terrace are enchanting. The gardens date back to the 1630's. They are built into the side of a steep hillside. There is a steep stair case from the castle courtyard that leads down to the gardens. We spent a solid hour and half walking around.

Check before you go, that the gardens are open as they are not open year round. From what I've read, the gardens are the most colorful in late summer.

When we visited, there was a wee food truck on the grounds selling coffee and bagels or sandwiches. Also, they have several peacocks roaming the grounds but sadly we didn't see any.

They have a cottage or maybe two on the grounds available to rent. A stay here would be pretty sweet.

Drummond Castle

View of the gardens from the middle of the terrace.

View of the castle from the gardens.

Steep Steps

The highs and lows of travel are often extreme. Walking the beautiful gardens was a high.

The next stops on our itinerary were supposed to be: Kilchurn Castle, Fairy Bridge of Glen Creran, and Castle Stalker before spending the night in Glencoe. 

However, after leaving Drummond Castle, things went a bit awry. Our navigational directions failed us. We got way off course and the map didn't show us we were going the wrong way until we got to Inveraray. We turned around only to get a flat tire on a narrow scary road, we hadn't planned to be on, full of traffic, with no place to pull over. 

This was our first day with the car!

Sometimes, what seems like the worst thing at the time, ends up being the best thing. Without this harrowing detour, we never would have discovered the picturesque village of Killin. Seeing the Falls of Dochart, was worth the blow out.

                                                                             On to Killin>>