Route: Floors Castle, Kelso
Area: Scottish Borders
Date of walk: 1st May 2018
Walkers: Andrew and Gilly
Distance: 3.0 miles
Weather: Sunny intervals
Having walked the nearby Eildon Hills this morning, we still had time for another excursion in the Scottish Borders, and decided to visit Floors Castle, Scotland’s largest inhabited castle and the seat of the Duke of Roxburghe
We only had 2 hours or so to spare, so whatever we did would only scrape the surface of this vast place. As the weather was still holding good we sacrificed a visit to the interior of the castle and bought 2 tickets for the gardens. We made our way through the woodland area, enjoying a wonderful display of daffodils as we went along, and then entered the walled garden. It was too early in the gardening season for most of the herbaceous perennials – these won’t be in full flower for another month or two – but there was a spectacular floral display in the glass houses
We didn’t follow a particular route, as this is a place to meander around as your fancy takes you. I’ll let the photos tell the story of a very enjoyable visit…
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On the way to Floors Castle, we stopped the car to admire the view of the Leaderfoot Viaduct, opened in 1863 to carry the Berwickshire Railway
Floors Castle, built for the 1st Duke of Roxburghe in 1721, and still home for the family
View from the front of the Castle
On our way to the formal gardens we passed through Star Plantation, which takes its name from the grass avenues radiating outwards from a central lime tree...
The Head Gardener's House
Inside the Walled Garden
We were too early in the season to see the herbaceous borders at their peak
The Millennium Garden...
Tulips in the Walled Garden...
Some photos taken inside the enormous glass houses in the Walled Garden...
A last view of Floors Castle at the end of a short but very sweet visit
