National Trust for Scotland ready to reopen

The National Trust for Scotland has set out plans to reopen built heritage in its care from Monday, 26 April.

Castles, houses, museums, visitors centres, cafes and shops will reopen to the public for the first time since they closed in December due to national lockdown restrictions.

Some of the most popular properties have also introducing a booking system to manage numbers and maintain safe physical distancing.

The Trust has staggered reopening from 26 April and amongst those opening on that date are, Culross Palace in Fife, the visitor centre at Bannockburn in Stirling and the garden and shop at Kellie Castle and Hill of Tarvit.

From 30 April, the public will have access to Aberdeenshire castles, including Castle Fraser, Crathes Castle and Drum Castle. Haddo House in Ellon will also reopen.

In the west of Scotland, Pollok House in Glasgow, The Hill House in Helensburgh, Brodick Castle on Arran, Culzean Castle in Ayrshire and Robert Burns Birthplace Museum in Alloway will open their doors on 30 April.

Also on this date, Newhailes House, Preston Mill and The Georgian House in Edinburgh and the Lothians will all open.

Many outdoor locations across the Highlands have been accessible for exercise all through the winter and early spring. On 30 April, visitor centres at Balmacara Estate, Culloden, Glencoe and Glenfinnan Monument will start welcoming visitors again.

Some of the properties trialling timed entry are Culross Palace, Culloden, Newhailes House, The Hill House, Pollok House and Robert Smail’s Printing Works. A full list is available on the Trust website and visitors are advised not to travel to the sites without pre-booking. Bookings can be made on each property’s websites.

Chief executive Philip Long OBE said: ‘Everyone at the Trust is looking forward to welcoming our visitors back to the beautiful places we protect.

‘With the easing of travel restrictions across mainland Scotland, people are eager to visit the places that they love and our teams are hard at work preparing for reopening to give everyone a warm, and of course, safe welcome.

‘We’ll be reopening more of our built heritage in late May and across summer and our charity is very grateful to all of those whose support and generosity means we can re-open more properties than we’d thought would have been possible this year. So many people love these places and after such a difficult year, all of us at the Trust are pleased to be able to share this positive news, and so many of our special places once again.’

The Trust is urging anyone planning to visit to check the latest opening information on www.nts.org.uk before travelling, as some properties have different opening patterns this summer.

The website also contains information for visitors on the safety measure that will be in place for visits, as well as sharing its top tips for visiting responsibly -.

Caring for countryside costs the charity millions each year. Supporters are being asked to donate to help the Trust help nature, now and in the future. Find out more at: www.nts.org.uk/help-nature.

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