Impressive manors in Scotland

Take a stroll around the large and beautiful gardens of Haddo House. This stately home was in the same family for over 400 years and is now owned and managed by the National Trust for Scotland. There is a terrace garden, a country park, an adventure playground and a cafe. Giving you lots of options to pick from. You can also tour the house, which takes around 70 minutes and lets you get more personal with this grand home.

This large Georgian mansion has a complicated history. Construction began in 1735 for William Duff, a successful businessman and sharp politician. Duff House was something of a vanity project and Scottish architect William Adam was chosen to execute the vision of wealth. However works stopped in 1741 due to diminishing funds, and a five-year court battle proceeded, which favoured Adam, except he died before he received the debit owed to him. After all that, Duff then decided not to sleep one night in the mansion, because he was so disappointed, and work was left to the heirs to complete. At the start of the 20th century the Duff family married into the royal family and the house was gifted and adopted for many uses including a hotel, a sanatorium and a prisoner-of-war camp. In 1940 the house was damaged during a bombing raid by the German Luftwaffe. Duff House was reopened to the public in 1995 and is a country house gallery and displays a grand collection of art from the National Galleries of Scotland. An interesting stop-off if you are near the pretty coastal towns of Banff and Macduff.

This monumental 19th-century Gothic revival mansion has to be seen to be believed. Originally built in 1719, and again in 1877, by the 3rd Marquess of Bute after a fire, it was renowned as one of the most technologically advanced houses of its era. Extravagance and imagination are what you’ll find here, with a stunning white marble chapel, astrology inspired ceilings and a grand 300-acre garden that is a botanical beauty and a pleasure to be in. Mount Stuart has been committed to ensuring the public can access and enjoy the house, grounds, art collections and archives for quite some time now. The visual arts and exhibitions are an exciting addition and should not be missed. The cafe Bute Kitchen has a great selection of locally sourced food, and you can even pre-book a luxury picnic ahead to enjoy in the grounds. Worth paying the money for the tour, and a great day out in one of Scotland’s most impressive buildings.