Atholl Estates is one of Scotland’s best-known Highland estates with Blair Castle & Gardens being the main draw for tourists. In addition to the castle, our tourism operations include Blair Castle Caravan Park, a range of holiday lodges and outdoor activities. Although the estate is managed commercially, our central aim is the preservation and enhancement of its natural, built, and social environments.
Located in Highland Perthshire with offices in Blair Atholl, the estate is centred around the famous landmark of Blair Castle. Steeped in history, the castle and grounds are open to the public for day visitors, corporate events, functions, and weddings. Visitors can enjoy a full day out, experiencing 30 castle rooms, a piper playing, the red deer park, Highland cows, the vast nine acre Hercules walled garden, Diana’s Grove; a 2 acre wooded grove home to some of the tallest trees in the country and St Brides Kirk, a beautiful ruined church.
There are numerous walking trails around the castle grounds that visitors can enjoy and there are various events that are open to the public throughout the year, including the annual Atholl Highlanders Parade and the Atholl Gathering that attracts thousands of visitors from all over the world.
Blair Castle Caravan Park in Blair Atholl is at the entrance to the Cairngorms National Park making it a convenient and beautiful base for exploring Highland Perthshire. Situated within the grounds of the magnificent Blair Castle & Gardens, it’s a truly unique location steeped in history and charm. Offering a host of options, from cosy camping and glamping pods, touring, camping, holiday homes and beautiful woodland lodges. The park has a excellent facilities and vast open spaces that make it very popular.
The Larder, located in the reception building is an organic shop available to guests and locals, stocking fresh, local and organic supplies that provide an alternative and premium offering to the two local shops in Blair Atholl village.
Atholl Estates offers self-catering holiday accommodation from Dunkeld in the south of the estate up to Calvine and Glen Tilt in the Cairngorms National Park. There are currently 19 holiday lodges available, ranging from large Victorian shooting lodges, converted farmhouses, bespoke modern cabins, idyllic shepherd huts to the cosiest of cottages. They all sit in particularly attractive glens and straths, near the rivers, lochs and forests that make Atholl such a beautiful place to stay. We pride ourselves on having a very large number of families that come back every year and are a happy fixture on the estate.
Equal in splendour to the castle is the magnificent landscape of the 120,000-acre estate in which it is set, which offers beautiful scenic vistas of rolling farmland and wild open hills. Tourism within the outdoor environments include walking and cycling where Atholl Estates manage the many paths and routes through magnificent landscapes that are a draw to those who enjoy active holidays. Country Sports including fishing, stalking and shooting are popular within the estate and combine well with our large lodges due to their prime location for these activities.
Based in Blair Atholl, the Atholl Estates Ranger Service operates throughout the estate. They assist visitors in their understanding and enjoyment of the area and also play a role in countryside education and conservation. There is a visitor information centre in the main car park in Blair Atholl that provides information to visitors and locals about Atholl Estates. The ranger service manages nine way-marked trails for walkers and cyclists on the estate and offer fun, educational activities during school holidays for local children and visitors to experience.