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Gleneagles Hotel's grand entrance canopy sits beneath its central tower, flanked by manicured hedges.
Perthshire

Gleneagles

The grand railway hotel of 1924 in the Perthshire countryside by Auchterarder, with James Braid's King's and Queen's courses and the course of the 2014 Ryder Cup.

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Welcome

In the rolling country of Strathearn, with the Ochils to the south and the Grampians far off to the north, a long sandstone hotel stands above its lawns and lochs.

Gleneagles was the dream of Donald Matheson of the Caledonian Railway, who came on holiday here in 1910 and imagined a palace in the country with golf at its door. When it opened on 7 June 1924, the papers hailed it as the eighth wonder of the world.

The golf came first. James Braid, five times winner of the Open, laid out the King's and the Queen's courses, which opened in 1919, five years before the hotel. Jack Nicklaus added a third course in 1993, now the PGA Centenary, and in September 2014 it hosted the Ryder Cup, won by Europe.

Today Gleneagles is a whole estate of things to do: fishing, shooting, riding, a falconry school with its hawks and eagles, a spa, and restaurants under the old ceilings. Rooms, tables, rounds and all the pursuits are booked through the hotel.

Before you go

A hotel, open all year.

Rooms, tables, golf, the spa and the country pursuits are all booked through Gleneagles.

Where
Auchterarder, Perthshire PH3 1NF.
Telephone
01764 662231.
Golf
The King's, the Queen's and the PGA Centenary courses.

Did you know

A Saltire flag flies above Gleneagles Hotel's central tower, framed by its symmetrical gabled wings.
Did you know

Golf before the hotel.

The King's and Queen's courses opened on 1 May 1919, five years before the hotel.

Gleneagles Hotel's long sandstone facade curves around a terrace with outdoor seating and a colonnade.
Did you know

A railway dream.

Gleneagles was the idea of Donald Matheson, general manager of the Caledonian Railway.

A falconer holding a golden eagle on his glove at Gleneagles.
Did you know

Hawks and eagles.

The British School of Falconry has been at Gleneagles since 1992.

Ben Lerwill

From our guide to Perthshire

Few high-end hotels in the UK have quite the same cachet as Gleneagles. Garlanded in Michelin stars, ringed by championship golf courses and filled with five-star rooms and suites, this fabled countryside estate first eased open its doors in 1924. The description it was given at the time – a ‘Riviera in the Highlands’ – still rings true.

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New places, news and stories, as we find them.

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Where it is

In the Perthshire countryside south of Auchterarder, off the A9.

Close byStrathearn.
  1. Tullibardine ChapelTullibardine Chapel2 miles3 min by road
  2. Glass-fronted bookcases and a sliding ladder in a library beside an arched windowInnerpeffray Library8 miles13 min by road
  3. Drummond Castle GardensDrummond Castle GardensA formal garden of 1630 below Drummond Castle, near Muthill.8 miles18 min by road
  4. Maggie Wall Witch MonumentMaggie Wall Witch MonumentA cairn topped by a cross by the roadside west of Dunning, painted with the words Maggie Wall burnt here 1657 as a witch.8 miles11 min by road
  5. Stone-built Kirkstyle Inn with crest sign and steps to the entranceThe Kirkstyle InnAn old country inn on Kirkstyle Square in Dunning, below St Serf's Church, with local food, real ales, a covered beer garden and four rooms.9 miles13 min by road
  6. The fountain in the square at Crieff under bunting.CrieffThe market town of Strathearn, once the great cattle tryst.10 miles16 min by road
Directions
A landscape view of Whitehill on its hill: the steadings, the farmhouse and its red-roofed wing in low sun across a field of young crop.AuchterarderWhitehill Farm HouseSleeps 8 · 5.6 miles
Gallery interior with framed artwork on white walls and ceramics on plinthsAttractionsThe Strathearn Gallery9.3 miles
Fallen leaves cover a woodland path lined with tall beech treesAttractionsLady Mary's Walk10 miles
A grand stone mansion with multiple gables and chimneys stands behind a lawn set with wicker chairs, seen through overhanging leaves.PerthshireCromlixPlace to stay · 10 miles
A gravel path winds past newly planted shrubs toward a thatched cabin and a timber gateway beside a still pond.AttractionsThe Japanese Garden at Cowden12 miles
The bookshop's courtyard with tables and a timber shelter.ShoppingThe Wee Bookshop, Dollar14 miles
Castle Campbell's tower above the wooded glen, farmland stretching away below.AttractionsCastle Campbell15 miles
The Old Farmhouse, PerthshirePerthshireThe Old FarmhouseSleeps 8 · 22 miles
Stay nearby

Places to stay near Gleneagles, and when each is next free.

A landscape view of Whitehill on its hill: the steadings, the farmhouse and its red-roofed wing in low sun across a field of young crop.Whitehill Farm House
  • Sleeps 8
  • In Auchterarder
  • 3 miles from Gleneagles
Free 19–23 OctA grand stone mansion with multiple gables and chimneys stands behind a lawn set with wicker chairs, seen through overhanging leaves.Cromlix
  • To stay
  • In Perthshire
  • 9 miles from Gleneagles
Check datesThe Old Farmhouse, PerthshireThe Old Farmhouse
  • Sleeps 8
  • In Perthshire
  • 12 miles from Gleneagles
Check datesAn aerial view of a golf green surrounded by bunkers and trees, rolling countryside stretching to the horizon.Murrayshall
  • To stay
  • In Perthshire
  • 17 miles from Gleneagles
Check datesPlaces to stayEvery stay in PerthshireAll our places to stay nearby, to search by date and by who is coming.See them all
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