All our trips with GIG so far have had lovely weather on the day, but this trip looked as if it was going to be different. Rain, wind and a chill in the air greeted our departure - and unfortunately continued throughout the whole day. Saturated fields, full of bedraggled sheep and/or livestock were on either side of the roads, which themselves had rivers of water running along at the edges. In a few places these even met in the middle - flooding the whole road. Hats, gloves and umbrellas were therefore the order of the day!
Traquair House is situated to the SE of Peebles and is, it is claimed, the oldest continually inhabited house in Scotland. It is built in the style of a fortified mansion. The estate is made up of about 4000 acres with several farms, cottages and areas of forestry along with a stretch of the River Tweed and its associated fishing. Over the 900 years of its existence Traquair has had 27 monarchs visit, and sometimes stay, in their 50 rooms.
However if you are a visitor to Traquair, you cannot use the main entrance.
The Bear gates were installed in 1738 but when they were closed after Bonnie Prince Charlie passed through in 1745 the Earl at the time vowed that they would never be opened again until a Stuart king was on the throne! They therefore remain closed to this day.
Today Traquair was hosting a Festive Fayre, with the house open for visitors to see it decorated as in Victorian times. There were craft stalls to buy presents and many activities for children to participate in. Unfortunately, with the weather on the day, walking around the grounds was not really an option. There are no formal gardens here but you can walk around the grounds, some of which run alongside the river, and try to find your way around the maze! Traquair have previously been part of the Snowdrop Festival in Scotland, when many of the grounds were open for visitors to see them covered in snowdrops.
We wandered around the house seeing some of the furniture and artefacts on display in the various rooms. The Drawing room had many portraits of family ancestors....
The Dressing room showed how everyday life was lived in days gone by ...
The King's room was where Mary Queen of Scots stayed....
... and the Museum has some of her belongings as well as a mural dating from the 16th Century.
The Still room contained some stunning 18th Century porcelain and the Dining room was set out as if for a meal...
The Library was filled from floor to ceiling with books...
Even the cellars had wonderful collections in them...
... and there are maps and old prints everywhere - all relating to the wonderful history of the house.
There are stone staircases that take you from floor to floor but they are often spiral staircases and we had to take care when going up and down. We also saw some more secret stairways....
Traquair also has it's own chapel, built in the 19th Century, and its own brewery! This dates back to the early 1700's but went out of use and the space was filled with family memorabilia. It was rediscovered in the 1960's with all its brewing equipment intact and brewing began again. The brewery became a success and beer is exported all over the world.
As well as the craft stalls erected in various rooms of the house for the Fayre, there are also some craft workshops in the grounds. There is also a small café serving refreshments.
Despite the weather, we enjoyed our visit to a fascinating place - even if we couldn't use the main entrance!
