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Blair castle visit
Culloden Moor Visitor Centre visit
· Entrances are paid by voucher.
· Blair Castle – Timed Visit. Visit will be self guided following an introductory talk.
· Culloden Moor – Keep to your time, but they are flexible.
Blair Castle – visit
The coach park is only a short walk to the castle entrance. Passengers may wish to use the restrooms before the tour. They are located through glass doors of modern the extension. Pay entrances with voucher. You can request a guided tour and they last approximately 45 minutes and ends in the gift shop. However, with fewer staff they may only be able to give an introduction in the entrance hall. If it is self guided students have been known to get done with the Castle in 30 minutes, if the weather is not good / early in the season and the gardens are not a possibility you may have to adjust your timings.
Toilets and Restaurant are housed in the modern wing on the right of the castle.
Advise group to look out for the bagpiper (list of times s/he plays by castle entrance), the Peacocks and the Highland Cows.
En Route to Blair Castle
Dependent upon your booked time at Blair castle a stop at Pitlochry could work before or after the visit. If later you would have lunch in Pitlochry.
The Pass of Killiekrankie
Approx. 7 miles (15 mins.) before Pitlochry is Killiekrankie, the site of a decisive battle in 1689. With a fit group it is great to walk through the woods (30 mins round trip) to see the Soldier’s Leap, where one government soldier leapt 15 feet over a ravine to escape.
Distilleries
With an adult group, you may wish to visit a distillery. There are two in/near Pitlochry which give guided tours. Edradour, just outside Pitlochry and Bells’, who run the Blair Athol Distillery.
Pitlochry
This is an attractive little town with lots of good shopping and can make a good stop especially for adult groups. Carpark on left as entering the town from the south. Toilets Charge.
Blair Castle to Inverness:
Dalwhinnie Distillery is a potential stop 20 minutes from Blair Castle, need to be prebooked, Entrance Charge.
Culloden Moor – visit
As you approach you begin to see the turf covered trench/graves of the battlefield. Enter Visitor Centre and hand in voucher
Visitor Centre offers a wonderful visitor experience. Shop and restaurant are available. You walk through a timeline leading up to the battle. On one side is the Jacobite story and on the other events are described from the Hanoverian perspective. You ou can enter a room which simulates being in the heart of the battle. Warn passengers that it is not for those who react to flashing imagery. At certain times there are 10 min demonstrations by costumed characters of the period.
After this they then exit through the door marked ‘To the Battlefield’. They should at least visit the large stone Cairn, the Clan Graves and the viewpoint behind the cairn. Time permitting they can walk further. You can also, via a ramp, walk onto the roof of the Visitor Centre which gives wonderful panoramic views of the surrounding countryside.
Battlefield tours are no longer free, check if included during visit, otherwise group pay if they wish to have a tour.
SEE INFORMATION INDEX FOR ALL PHONE NUMBERS AND OPENING TIMES