Arniston House
BEST FOR
Up to age 18
ENTRY
from £5
WHERE
Gorebridge
What it’s like
A guided tour round a stately home near Gorebridge, with Raeburn paintings, stucco ceilings and 6,000 acres of grounds to wander after.
This is a proper guided tour, not a wander-round-yourself sort of visit. Someone takes you through the house and tells you the story of the Dundas family, pointing out the period furniture, the china and the plasterwork on the ceilings, plus paintings by Sir Henry Raeburn and Alexander Nasmyth. It runs just over an hour, which is about the limit for most kids before they start reading the room labels upside down for entertainment.
It suits older children more than toddlers. There's a lot of looking and listening rather than doing, so an eight-year-old with a bit of patience for history will get more out of it than a three-year-old who wants to touch everything. Once the tour's done there's the estate itself, 6,000 acres of it, which is where younger legs can actually stretch out after sitting still indoors.
Tours only run on set days, Tuesdays and Wednesdays from early May, with Sundays added from July, always at 2pm. That's one slot a day, so there's no picking a time to suit nap schedules or a late breakfast. You can book online or just turn up and pay at the door, though arriving early seems sensible given there's only the one tour.
It isn't cheap for a family day. Adults are £15, under-18s are £5, and the family pass works out at £35 for two adults and three children, which is the better deal if you've got a few of them in tow. Group bookings are possible outside the normal times too, if you're thinking bigger than a family outing.
Facilities
Need to know
- Best for
- Ages 8 to 18; younger kids may find the tour a long sit
- Booking
- Book online via Eventbrite or purchase at the door
- How long to allow
- Just over an hour
- Getting there by bus or train
- Gorebridge train station on Tweedbank to Edinburgh Waverly line, 2 miles away
- There's only one tour a day, at 2pm, so plan around that single slot.
- Historic Houses members get in free with their card.
- The house tour is fairly still and quiet, so it suits a child who can sit through an hour of talking.
- Tours don't start until 5th May 2026, so this isn't a winter outing.
Plan your visit
How much does it cost?
£15 for an adult, £5 per child under 18, or £35 for a family pass covering two adults and three children.
Do we need to book ahead?
You can book online or just pay at the door. Tours start at 2pm so it's worth getting there in good time.
How long does the tour take?
Just over an hour, which covers the house, the paintings and the family history.
What ages is it suitable for?
Under-18s pay a reduced rate, but it's really a tour for children old enough to sit through an hour of history and architecture rather than toddlers.
When can we visit?
Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 2pm from early May to end of June, with Sundays added from July through mid-September.
Is there anything to do outside the house?
The estate runs to 6,000 acres, plenty of room to walk about once the indoor tour is finished.
Can we book a group visit?
Yes, group bookings for up to 30 people run year-round outside the usual tour times, though there are minimum booking requirements.
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