Edzell Castle – a Walled Garden of 1604 and Lunch
A few hours.
The route
At the foot of the Angus glens, the red sandstone ruin of Edzell Castle stands beside one of the loveliest gardens in Scotland, laid out by Sir David Lindsay in 1604.
Its high walls are carved with panels and heraldry, with niches for flowers and nesting birds and a little summer house in the corner. A mile away in Edzell village, Sinclair's Larder serves a fresh, seasonal lunch. Most of the garden is step-free.
Before you go
Book accommodation nearby
If you are staying over: here are ours nearest where the day starts and ends.
Book lunch at Sinclair’s Larder
Book a table at Sinclair's Larder on 01356 648285 for about 12.30 at the weekend, as it seats 30: the castle opens Friday to Sunday from April to September, so the day works on those days only.
The day
Edzell
A morning in a Renaissance walled garden beside a ruined castle, then lunch in the village at the foot of Glen Esk.
About three and a half hours
Edzell Castle
An attraction
Park in the level car park by the castle, a mile west of Edzell village, and walk about 150 metres along a gravel path to the visitor centre. The castle was the Lindsays' tower house, and Mary, Queen of Scots stayed here. Beside it is the walled garden Sir David Lindsay made in 1604, its walls set with carved panels, heraldry and recesses for flowers and nesting birds, with a summer house in one corner. The garden is reached over a compacted path and has a grass path through it; the tower is up a spiral stair of 61 steps with no handrail. It opens Friday to Sunday from April to September, 10am to 4.30pm, last entry 3.45pm, and adults pay £8.50. Dogs on leads are welcome outside. Go in the morning and allow an hour and a half.
4 min by car
Sinclair’s Larder
Lunch
Lunch is at Sinclair's Larder, behind a purple shopfront on Edzell High Street, 4 minutes' drive east. It's a small 30-seat café bistro with a planted terrace, serving lunch from noon: soup, deep-filled sandwiches, main dishes and light bites, with home baking and locally roasted coffee all day. The entrance is level and there are accessible toilets. It's small, so ring 01356 648285 for a table at the weekend.
If it rains
The garden and the ruin are open to the sky; in rain keep the castle short, see the ground-floor kitchen and cellars, and let lunch run long.
Sinclair’s Larder, a restaurant in Edzell.
Photograph by Nicola Hood via Google