National Geographic Traveler USA - 04.2019 - 05.2019

NATGEOTRAVEL.COM

DOWNTIME

SCOTLAND

Estate

Planning

Sleep, dine, and play like

royalty in these posh

Scottish manors

By Cathy Newman

I

f the perfect trip takes you as far out of your own life as possible, then the

ultimate adventure can be had in and among the estates of Scotland. How best

to channel the royal existence for a weekend or more?

One option: You could buy a Scottish estate of your own, like the 12,000-acre

Tillypronie Estate in Aberdeenshire, which was sold in 2016 and comes with an

11-bedroom stone manor, grouse moor, salmon river, gardens, and Scots pine–

studded forest. But the price tag of $13.6 million might give you pause, not to men-

tion the payroll for all those butlers, gamekeepers, gardeners, housekeepers, and

cooks you’d need to run the place.

Or, you could go to an agent who specializes in sporting “lets”—British parlance

for rentals—and book a country house or estate lodge for a week. In the Highland

hamlet of Old Struan, find Kindrochet Lodge (atholl-estates.co.uk) on the Atholl

Estates. Rents for the Victorian stone shooting lodge, which sleeps 16, start at around

$3,000 a week—internet included, but exclusive of housekeeper, cook, provisions,

and tips. Guests commonly dress for dinner. Tartans optional.