My last post was about a distillery and that same day we also visited Drummond Castle on our way to Dundee. I was not that drunk, but was not going to risk driving.
The castle was built starting in the late 15th century and the garden started in the 17th. You reach it via a long avenue. That is a one-way road as you come out somewhere else. The only public toilets are by the car park. There is a coffee wagon by the castle, but no actual cafe. I have not see it, but the series Outlander has filmed here when it acted as Versailles.
This does look like a place you could defend. It stands on a hill and you enter through a narrow arch. There is a little shop in there where you get your ticket. They are part of Historic Houses who I had not heard of, but they have a lot of properties all over the UK. Members get free entry, as do people in the Royal Horticultural Society. We had to pay the £12.50 entry fee. In the tower you can go in a room that shows a video about their remarkable sundial. The main castle is not open to the public as I think it is a private home.
From the courtyard you can look over the garden. It is a very formal one. They give you a map that details all the trees and other plantings. There are steps down to a lower terrace and then again to the actual garden.
The sundial dates back to the start of the garden and has dozens of ways to measure the time. It was recently restored and I expect it had to be very carefully put back in the right position.
The numbers are a little hard to read. This was at about 14:30 (GMT) so it looks about right.
Beyond the main garden is the fruit and vegetable area with a huge greenhouse.
There was some event going on by Malle who do all sorts of motorbike clothing and luggage. I think riders were going to gather there as they had tables and drinks ready. They had several of these Royal Enfield bikes that had been custom painted.
They have this huge grass bank sloping down to the garden and it was being trimmed by several robot lawnmowers that seemed to have no issues with the gradient. We saw some others around the garden. That must cut the labour by a lot when you consider that in its prime that would all be cut by hand.
It is a stunning garden and perhaps not what we would aspire to, but you can still get ideas. We might not go for classical statues and sundials, but we do like the idea of some outdoor art to add interest.
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