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Discover beautiful Scottish gardens to visit

Scotland is home to 31 RHS Partner Gardens, each offering a unique window into the country’s natural beauty and cultural heritage. Here is a selection of beautiful landscapes that RHS members can visit for free on selected days

Whether you’re craving delicious traditional food and drink, eager to explore rich history, drawn to vibrant arts festivals, seeking outdoor adventure, or simply looking to relax and recharge in breathtaking landscapes, there’s something for everyone in Scotland. Discover some of the best RHS Partner Gardens to visit in this gorgeous country – free to RHS members on selected days.

Join the RHS and enjoy free access to 241 gardens in the UK and around the world at selected times >

Cambo Gardens, Fife

Cambo’s 2.5-acre walled garden dates back to the 1800s
Visitors to Cambo Gardens will be amazed by the site’s unique, soft and informal character. Among the main attractions are a vast walled garden and a no-dig edible garden that supplies produce to the vegetarian café at the Stables Visitor Centre. Families with young children can enjoy a natural play area and woodland walks that lead down to the sea, and dogs on leads are welcome. In winter, Cambo Gardens’ famous snowdrop walks make it a must-visit destination.

  • Free days out for RHS members in 2025: every day
  • Find out more at Cambo Gardens


Drummond Castle Gardens, Perthshire

Drummond Castle Gardens preserves a beech tree planted by Queen Victoria in 1842
Everything you would expect of an ancient Scottish fortress is right in front of your eyes at Drummond Castle. Cross the courtyard and its impressive formal gardens are revealed in their full glory, with intricate, magnificent parterres bordered by low box hedges and gravel paths lining neatly clipped yew hedges. This is where, in June 2024, French fashion house Dior held its first Scottish show since 1955.

  • Free days out for RHS members in 2025: every day in May, September and October
  • Find out more at Drummond Castle Gardens
     

Explorers Garden, Pitlochry

The variety of habitats within the Explorers Garden reflects the geographic origins of the plants introduced by Scottish explorers
Conceived as a Theatricum Botanicum and nestled beside Pitlochry Festival Theatre – the artistic heart and soul of Highland Perthshire – the Explorers Garden is divided into glades representing the distant regions explored by Scottish plant collectors over the past 250 years. In late spring, many rare varieties of Meconopsis come into magnificent bloom, including the Meconopsis (George Sherriff Group) ‘Explorers’. The tranquil woodland garden hosts performances in its amphitheatre and events in the pavilion.

  • Free days out for RHS members in 2025: Tuesday and Wednesday, 1 April–31 October
  • Find out more at Explorers Garden
     

Glenwhan Garden, Dumfries and Galloway

Many tender plants from across the Southern Hemisphere are grown at Glenwhan Garden
Glenwhan Garden offers stunning views over Luce Bay to the Mull of Galloway, the Isle of Man and beyond. Created from a wild landscape of bog and gorse over 40 years ago by plantswoman Tessa Knott Sinclair, this 12-acre designed landscape now bursts with rhododendrons, camellias and a variety of Himalayan plantings. Glenwhan Garden has multiple areas, ponds, trails and hidden corners waiting to be explored. 

  • Free days out for RHS members in 2025: Saturdays
  • Find out more at Glenwhan Garden
     

Gordon Castle Walled Garden, Moray

A decade-long restoration project has completely transformed Gordon Castle Walled Garden
Regional Scottish winner of the RHS Partner Garden of the Year competition in 2024, Gordon Castle Walled Garden is one of the oldest and largest kitchen gardens in Britain. Family events and activities are hosted throughout the year, and with a wonderful natural play area and seasonal garden trails, there is plenty for children to see and enjoy. For those looking for a longer stay, the garden also offers luxury accommodation and holiday cottages.

An incredible restoration project started in 2012 has transformed this garden from grass field to the beautiful place it is now.

Zara Gordon Lennox, owner of Gordon Castle Walled Garden

  • Free days out for RHS members in 2025: Thursday, 2 January–30 December plus Wednesday, 1 October–31 March
  • Find out more at Gordon Castle Walled Garden
     

Dunvegan Castle and Gardens, Isle of Skye

At Dunvegan Castle, visit the Water Garden with its ornate bridges and islands
Located on the picturesque Isle of Skye, Dunvegan Castle’s Water Garden, Rose Garden, Walled Garden and woodland walks offer a hidden oasis filled with an eclectic mix of flowers, exotic plants, specimen trees and shimmering pools fed by waterfalls and streams that flow down to the sea. Visitors can also explore more informal areas of the garden, where a wilder landscape is maintained to encourage wildlife and create a natural aesthetic, all framed by the beauty of the coastal scenery. Dogs are welcome on leads.

Abbotsford, Melrose

The garden at Abbotsford is a rare surviving example of a Regency Garden
The garden at Abbotsford was designed by 19th-century novelist and poet Sir Walter Scott and is a rare surviving example of a Regency garden layout. Divided into three distinct outdoor rooms, the space feels like a scene from one of Scott’s historical romances, complete with views of a Juliet balcony, a Rapunzel tower overlooking the river and a gothic staircase leading to the meadow.

  • Free days out for RHS members in 2025: Wednesday and Thursday, 1 March–31 December
  • Find out more at Abbotsford
     

Find all the RHS Partner Gardens in Scotland by visiting rhs.org.uk/partnergardens/find-a-partner-garden and entering ‘Scotland’ in the search bar.

Please note: Opening times and RHS member access vary. Please check with the garden before you attend to avoid disappointment.

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