On arrival at the House we discovered that we had only just missed the Queen. She had used the House as her base the day before to open the Queensferry Crossing and her helicopter had landed on the front lawn.
There were so many highlights of our tour of the magnificent private residence. Our guide Ian Low knew everything there was to know about the House and family all fascinating.
The State Rooms were packed with art and antiques and after the tour we could wander around on our own. It was worth the climb up the stairs to the roof to get a view of the three Forth Bridges.
The House had some very interesting artworks on view as part of their Heartwood at Hopetoun exhibition. We timed it well so our tour and lunch in the stables (fortunately now a lovely Stables Tearoom) took place in the rain, but it cleared up in the afternoon to see the extensive grounds. I think most people were very happy to get on the bus and