Manderston

Scottish Borders | Duns | Stately home | ★★★★

[Manderston]

Manderston is undisputedly the finest Edwardian country house in Scotland. Mostly redesigned by John Kinross (to massively upgrade a 18th century mansion) between 1901 and 1905, the house is still home to the Palmer family and exudes wealth from every pore, from its magnificent ballroom to a grand silver staircase. The construction budget? Reputedly unlimited. Today's visitor can also explore large parts of the extensive grounds; these comprise a lake and woodland garden on the south side, while on the north side there are formal gardens, a Marble Dairy and a cavernous stable block. The ingredients are therefore all present for a very impressive day out indeed - shame then about the indifferent attitude of a couple of the tour guides on our visit.

[Gardens & grounds]

📌 Manderston ★★★★
Off minor road 2 miles east of Duns, G.R.: NT 811544 ///testy.crowds.brings
Open Thursdays and Sunday afternoons, early May to September, plus bank holiday afternoons, late May & August | £12.50 adult / £7 child

[Main entrance]

[Gardens & grounds]

[Gardens & grounds]

[Gardens & grounds]

[Gardens & grounds]

[Gardens & grounds]

[Gardens & grounds]

[Marble Dairy]

[Marble Dairy]

[Gardener's House]

[Stables]

[Stables]

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Walk: Ben Chonzie - tourist trail with a twist

Image
Perth & Kinross | Comrie | Half day walk | ★★★

Ben Chonzie's accessible position - fewer than 50 miles from both Glasgow and Edinburgh - makes it one of Scotland's busier summits, and a popular choice as a first Munro. Yet it's saddled with an unenviable reputation as a dull hill, thanks to some rather featureless upper slopes and a broad plateau which robs the summit panorama of airiness and depth. Our favourite route up the hill is from the less popular Loch Turret side, but here we describe the "tourist" route from Glen Lednock in ascent. Decent tracks and only a little boggy ground make for a relatively straightforward climb, with good views looking back west compensating for less interesting immediate surroundings. The hill also reputedly has a healthy mountain hare population, so keep eyes peeled around the summit plateau. Finally, we've varied the return with a pathless descent to the Invergeldie Burn, allowing a circular route and views of a much …
Read more

Walk: Ben Chonzie by a road less travelled

Image
Perth & Kinross | Crieff | Full day walk | ★★★

Ben Chonzie's lumpy, undramatic profile gets a bad rep amongst walkers despite its accessible, southerly location. The hill is normally climbed from Glen Lednock: a short and straightforward route, but with few distinguishing features. Instead, consider approaching from Loch Turret on the southeastern side for more visual interest; the approach around the reservoir is surrounded by craggy hillside which can be explored on the return route. The section beyond Lochan Uaine can be a bit of a mudbath - at least it's only brief.


📌 Walk: Ben Chonzie by a road less travelled ★★★
▶ 16 km / 10 miles | ▲ 940 metres
Summits: Ben Chonzie (931 metres, Munro); Meall na Sèide (757 metres); Càrn Chòis (786 metres) | Features: Loch Turret
Start / finish: Car park at Loch Turret dam, 4 miles northwest of Crieff, G.R.: NN 821264 ///retiring.foggy.jumps

Route: Car park - Lochan Uaine via east bank of Loch Turret - Bealach na Gaoith - Ben Chonzie - M…
Read more

The Hirsel

Image
Scottish Borders | Coldstream | Park | ★★

The Hirsel is a large country park based around a private Georgian stately home to the west of Coldstream, and makes a rewarding spot for a stroll at any time of year. Hirsel Lake is the highlight, with various species of ducks, geese and swans visible from hides on the south bank and breaks in vegetation on the east side, especially over winter. The main car park is at The Homestead: an attractive courtyard surrounded by arts and craft shops, a tea room and the interesting estate museum.


📌 The Hirsel★★
Off the A698 a mile west of Coldstream. Homestead "hub" is at G.R.: NT 828402 ///sand.hazelnuts.hillside
Open daily | Free (charge for main car park)







Read more