Traquair House

What it’s like

A rambling old house with a maze, willow tunnels and pygmy goats to hunt down in the grounds.

The house itself is worth a wander, but it's the grounds that will actually hold a kid's attention. There's a maze planted with 1,500 trees, willow tunnels to duck through, and a mini adventure playground with equipment they say suits all ages, plus a separate toddlers' area if you've got a smaller one in tow. Wander further and you'll find peacocks, ducks, swans, rare breed poultry, pygmy goats and kune kune pigs, which is more livestock than most historic houses bother with.

House and grounds runs £14.50 for an adult and £7 for a child aged 5 to 13, or £36 for a family ticket. If you just want the grounds and the animals, it's £6 for an adult and £5 for a child, which is the sensible option if the house itself is a hard sell for your crew. No need to book ahead, you can just turn up and pay at the ticket hut.

One faff worth knowing about: the café is only open to people who've bought a grounds or house ticket, so you can't nip in for a coffee without paying entry first. Dogs are welcome on a lead in the grounds and the café, though they can't come into the house or courtyard. The house itself isn't fully wheelchair accessible, only some rooms are open, but there's a video tour for the bits you can't reach and a portable ramp at the Brewery Shop.

It's shut on Fridays outside of July and August, and closed completely from December through March, so this is very much a spring-to-autumn plan. Opening hours shift about with the season too, starting at 10:30am in high summer but not until 11am the rest of the year, and closing as early as 3pm in November.

Facilities

Need to know

Best for

Good for young explorers who fancy a maze and animals over a stuffy house tour

Parking

On-site parking. 3 disabled bays on main avenue

Food

Old Walled Garden Café with group catering available

Wheelchairs

Partially accessible. Video tour available

Dogs

Welcome in all grounds and café areas on lead

Getting there by bus or train

Bus approx every 30 mins from St Andrews Square Bus Station

• Grounds-only tickets are half the price of house and grounds and still get you the maze and animals
• It's closed all winter from December to March, so plan a spring, summer or autumn trip
• Season passes work any day the house is open, but not on event days
• Bus runs roughly every 30 minutes from St Andrews Square, or it's about a 15 minute walk from Innerleithen

Plan your visit

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