Discover beautiful Scottish gardens to visit
Scotland is home to 32 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 more than 240 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 2026: Wednesday – Thursday, when open
- Dogs on leads welcome in all areas, including the café
- 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 2026: Daily, May, September and October
- Dogs on leads are welcome
- 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 2026: Tuesday – Wednesday, 1 April – 31 October
- Dogs on leads are welcome
- Find out more at Explorers Garden
Glenwhan Garden & Arboretum, Dumfries and Galloway
Many tender plants from across the Southern Hemisphere are grown at Glenwhan Garden & Arboretum
Glenwhan Garden & Arboretum 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 & Arboretum has multiple areas, ponds, trails and hidden corners waiting to be explored.
- Free days out for RHS Members in 2026: Saturday, when open
- Dogs on leads are welcome
- Find out more at Glenwhan Garden & Arboretum
Gordon Castle Walled Garden, Moray
A decade-long restoration project has completely transformed Gordon Castle Walled Garden
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.
- Free days out for RHS Members in 2026: Wednesday – Thursday, when open
- Dogs on leads are welcome
- Find out more at Gordon Castle Walled Garden
Dunvegan Castle and Gardens, Inverness
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.
- Free days out for RHS Members in 2026: Daily, 1 April – 15 October
- Dogs on leads are welcome in the castle gardens
- Find out more at Dunvegan Castle and Gardens
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 2026: Wednesday – Thursday, 1 March – 31 December, when open
- Dogs on leads are welcome
- Find out more at Abbotsford
Dumfries House, East Ayrshire
A vibrant display of flowers leading towards a gentle fountain in the heart of a walled garden
Dumfries House sits at the heart of 600 acres of landscaped gardens. Saved in 2007 when King Charles III led a consortium to preserve the estate and its exceptional Chippendale furniture, it has since gained a mix of formal and natural gardens, including Japanese, woodland and flower areas with water features, azalea beds, mazes, tree lined avenues and an impressive arboretum. The restored five acre Walled Garden now features terraces, greenhouses, topiary and an Education Garden where young people learn horticultural skills, food waste awareness and plant life, while the wider estate supports training in traditional skills and serves as the headquarters of the King’s Foundation.
- Free days out for RHS Members in 2026: Daily, when open
- Dogs are on short leads are welcome except inside The Maze
- Overall winner of RHS Partner Garden of the Year 2025 and Regional winner for Scotland
- Find out more at Dumfries House
Glamis Castle and Gardens, Angus
Golden daffodils in full bloom framing the fairytale setting of Glamis Castle at sunset
Glamis Castle and Gardens surround the fairytale former home of the late Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother. The 150‑acre estate features sweeping lawns, majestic trees and intimate garden rooms linked by a circular trail, with seasonal highlights from a mile‑long avenue of spring daffodils to the Italian Garden created by King Charles III’s great‑grandmother, filled with tulips, long borders and vibrant summer planting. Woodland paths host a Macbeth sculpture trail reflecting the castle’s Shakespearean ties. At the centre, the restored four‑acre walled Kitchen Garden includes decorative fruit and vegetables, double
- Free days out for RHS Members in 2026: 20 March –31 October, when open
- Dogs on short leads are welcome across the gardens and grounds
- Find out more at Glamis Castle and Gardens
