Part two

The village of Pitlochry is darling, with loads of upscale shops selling woolens and cashmere, and assorted fine gifts. I found Hettie's Tea Room on the web while researching the area some months ago and it looked like a funky, cozy place to have a spot of tea and lunch. We wandered around, spending a few pounds at the boutiques, then nipped into Hettie's for a hearty lunch.

After leaving Pitlochry we headed back toward Aberfeldy, where we visited on Monday, and to the Bolfracks Estate to see their gardens. The house was white stucco, much like the Blair Castle, and there was a reception booth with an honor box into which to put the garden visit fee. 

The grounds were steep, and once at the very top of the property the views back toward the mountains were very pretty. It sprinkled while we were there so we made the trek around the flowers pretty quickly. Many of the flowers were hung over from the weight of the rain, but the roses all had lovely scents and there were some very pretty vistas.

Now that we have been to three castles with gardens and a fourth garden too, I'd have to say that the English have it all over the Scottish in terms of garden wow factor. I won't say the gardens here were a disappointment, but they are just not on the same level as their English counterparts.