The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Courier Country blooms as garden visitors return
Outdoor areas at National Trust for Scotland sites reopen for the first time since lockdown started
The crisis-hit National Trust for Scotland has opened dozens of its gardens and estates for the first time since lockdown.
The charity said more than 1,000 slots had been booked in advance of yesterday’s relaunch.
Tayside and Fife was blessed with sunshine and blue skies as visitors returned to popular sites including Branklyn Garden in Perth and the outdoor spaces at Barry Mill, near Carnoustie. Also reopening were the garden and grounds of House of Dun near Montrose and Falkland Palace gardens in Fife.
Outdoor areas at Culross Palace and Kellie Castle will open from Thursday to Monday.
It comes after the NTS said some indoor facilities may not reopen until the 2022-23 season, including Bannockburn Visitor Centre.
Phil Long, the charity’s new chief executive, said: “It’s wonderful news that we’re able to start welcoming visitors back to so many of our properties around the country.
“Our team have been doing a phenomenal job and I’ve been seeing for myself the incredible work that has been done to get ready for visitors once again.
“Sadly, we can’t yet bring people inside the castles, houses and visitor centres just yet. It’s an exceptionally challenging time for the trust.
“We should be in the midst of our busiest period, with visitors from home and abroad returning to and discovering… the magical places that we look after and finding out about the exceptional work done to conserve them.
“By opening now, our charity can start to make up for some of the income we’ve lost this year, though this will not be enough to cover the charitable funds we’ve missed out on during the lockdown.”
The campaign has been backed by Perthshire’s round-the-world cyclist Mark Beaumont, who highlighted the challenges facing the trust in a video on social media.
He said: “The lack of footfall because of Covid means that so many of these heritage sites across the country aren’t having the support they normally would – untold millions have been lost.
“It’s not just about amazing old buildings and parks, its about Glen Coe and the Ben Lawers ridge up in Perthshire – natural spaces that we all love to explore.”
The trust has also warned residents within the local lockdown in parts of Dumfries and Galloway “not to travel to its properties if it entails a journey beyond the five-mile limit”.
Some reopened sites have takeaway food and drink on offer but visitors are reminded to take litter home with them. Toilet facilities will also be in place – though not at all properties.
Meanwhile, one of Scotland’s most famous gardens will not reopen until at least next spring, operators have confirmed.
Drummond Castle Gardens, near Crieff, date back to the 17th Century and have been described by Historic Environment Scotland as “the best example of formal terraced gardens in Scotland”.
The grounds recently won a new legion of fans when they were transformed into the Palace of Versailles for popular time-travel drama Outlander.
But while other estates and gardens begin to reopen after more than 100 days of lockdown, the Drummond Castle team has confirmed their gates will stay shut for the time being.
A spokesman said: “It is with regret that we have taken the extremely difficult decision not to reopen Drummond Castle Gardens to the public this year.
“We know this will come as a disappointment to our visitors and staff, but due to the ongoing effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, we feel this is the right option to take – the safety of our team, our visitors and our suppliers is of paramount importance to us.”
Essential maintenance work will continue while the gardens are shut, and some stonework will be restored.
The spokesman added: “We will look forward to opening the gardens again in the spring of 2021, if circumstances permit.”
Last year, the gardens welcomed back a centuries-old sundial after two years of painstaking restoration. Designed and created by John Drummond, the second Earl of Perth, and John Mylne, master mason to the Scottish Crown, the sundial forms a focal point in the St Andrews-cross shaped grounds.