Scone Palace

We got a discounted family ticket from itison and headed off to do something a bit different. It took us just over an hour to get from Carluke to Scone and it was clearly sign posted from Perth — thank goodness. Nothing sets the tone from a horrible family day trip quite like Mummy and Daddy having a minor domestic about map reading!
We arrived just in time for lunch and headed straight to the Servants Hall coffee shop — no illusions of grandeur for us, we know where we belong! There were plenty of good homemade sandwiches, baked potatoes, cakes and biscuits to choose from, for fair prices and the service was brilliantly friendly with lots of smiles — hooray!
With full tummies we headed off into the Palace. Smudge was given a treasure hunt sheet with lots of things to look for. Perfect, as this meant that both her and g were entertained so I could read all the things and talk to the tour guides to find out even more — history geek and proud!
The amount of ivory on display in the dining room is by modern standards grotesque. The lovely tour guide was quick to point out that none of the pieces were created after the 17 century but I am afraid I cannot see past the slaughter to appreciate the craftsmanship of the carving. That said even mounted animal heads make me uncomfortable, I may be a bit of a wimp.
The palace is in spectacularly good condition and a real glimpse into the opulence that the upper class enjoyed — still enjoy. It is still a family home and used to entertain. Whilst I enjoyed wandering around Scone Palace the grounds were my favourite part. Moot hill where Lords swore allegiance to the Kings, where Kings were crowned on the Stone of Scone and where the bell rang to proclaim new laws. The tartan maze where we might still be wandering were it not for g standing on the platform and directing us out. The pinetum, especially the photos of the family in the 19^th century and again in the 21^st century. It was brilliant to look at the changes, not just in the height of the trees but the dress and formality of the family.
We also learned that peacocks can fly. I never actually realised this until one flew over our heads causing me to squeal and providing smudge with the highlight of her trip to Scone!
This was a brilliant day out. All the staff were so friendly and genuinely passionate about what they were doing. The palace and grounds were beautifully preserved and looked after. A special place, partially because of the history but also because of the brilliant way that it is being preserved.

It took me approximately ¾ of an hour to get to Scone Palace from Edinburgh. No traffic this time, but this can change when the «game» event is on end of June. I heard the queue can be quite long.
Parking was easy. You drive up a road with park land on either side, as well as sheep and cows, until you reach the main gate and the ticket office. I think I paid about 10£ entry. Toilets can be found inside and outside the gates.
My first destination of course was Moot Hill where I could take in a vague sensation of power long past, considering that a lot of kings were crowned at this place using the famous stone of destiny (Scone). Yes, Robert de Bruce and MacBeth both kneeled at this sacred spot. Behind it you can see a small chapel that also is the last resting place for some of the current owners ancestors.
Then I made my way around the gardens and woods with so many different tree types to see and which were imported during the 1800’s from all over the world. I especially liked the Giant Redwood trees from North America. Sooo massive. The grounds are vast and you can choose from several walkways. I ended up in the Maze, which is one of the largest I have ever encountered. Its a tricky one. People got lost in there. I heared them talking :-)
After an hour of exploring the hidden and obvious walks, plus the mystic 1800’s graveyard I ended up in the coffee shop for lunch. I orderd a toasted cheese and ham sandwich, which was excellent and was served with garnish and tortillas. No doubt, a bit overpriced and at the same time worth the money.
Last but not least, I explored the rooms on display. There are quite a few rooms and all tell a story for themselves, some containing more or less family pictures or the story of Belle, a girl born in wedlock to a Mansfield family member. There is much more to hear.
The gift shops are spacious. Peacocks are freely roaming the grounds. Gladly, the highland cows are fenced in and you can take lovely pictures or even gently stroke them.
Would I go back? Definitely! And I hope you will enjoy it as much as I did.

«The original home of the Stone of Scone»
William Atkinson started building Scone Palace (pronounced «Scoon») for the Earl of Mansfield in 1802 and completed it in 1812. The Earl in 1796 was William Murray and his family have made Scone palace their home ever since.
There is an extensive collection of Ivory and a couple of stuffed Bears that will either impress or depress you depending on your opinion on matters.
The collection of Art and very fine clocks are most impressive.
The many rooms are lavish and very grand as would be exoected.
There is a long history of Royalty here (both English and Scottish).
The servants who worked here back in the old days were treated very badly and this along with the Ivory and Stuffed animals gave the place a really bad vibe and made the whole experience very unappealing to me.
The café makes lovely soup and food, albeit at the customary «Touristy» unnecessarily over the top prices.
Outside, I saw Peacocks and Highland Cows, very pretty indeed. The Chapel is fascinating, however, due to the harsh weather, I didn’t make it to the Graveyard.
I thought there’d be more to it all, and, left disappointed. I guess this place just wasn’t for me, although I’m sure others opinions may differ.

Well i’m giving this a four star review as it was a good castle.
HOWEVER, Why was there not more disclaimers and information which implied that this was not a palace made entirely of scones but a castle in a place named Scone. I went to this palace assuming it was a famous attraction made of scones!
I even brought a T-​Shirt which said «Scone Fan» on it which made me look like an idiot once I realised that it was not a place for scone fans to go and celebrate scones!
Good castle though no scones…

Don’t go in winter… it’s closed!!!