Perth Weekend City Breaks And A Few Fascinating Places Worth Visiting

Perth, the ‘Fair City’ in Scotland , a once royal burgh, is sited at the head of the Tay estuary. During the twelfth and fifteenth centuries the city fought with Dunfermline for the right of being the capital city of the country. In the following article I discuss three places to visit in Perth, Scotland; Huntingtower Castle, Elcho Castle and Scone Palace:

Scone Palace

Today, Scone Palace is the home of the Earls of Mansfield, and a increasingly popular attraction to visitors from all over the world. Scone Palace is an important part of Scotland’s history, as the kings of Scotland were once crowned there. In 1306, Robert the Bruce was crowned at Scone Palace, as was Charles II when he took ownership of the Scottish Crown in 1651. There is a beautiful and mysterious atmosphere to the palace, which is justifiably so.At one time in the past the area served as an important meeting place of the Picts and there was also an early Christian church on the site.

Elcho Castle

Lying around three miles from the city of Perth, with breathtaking vistas across the River Tay, is Elcho Castle. Elcho Castle is one of the finest examples of Sixteenth century constructions in Scotland today. The Wemyss family authorized the construction of the castle in the 1570′s. The land had been in the family since 1468, when it was granted to them by King James III. In 1633, the head of the family was given the titles of Earl of Wemyss and Lord Elcho. Elcho Castle and it’s lands remained in possession of the Wemyss family until 1929. It was then, the 11th Earl of Wemyss, gave the castle to the nation of Scotland. The castle has recently been renovated and is now in the care of Historic Scotland.

Huntingtower Castle

Situated just west of Perth is Huntingtower Castle, a medieval pile. Even though the structure is originaly medieval, it has been redeveloped significantly throughout most of it’s history. The Ruthven family were occupiers of the castle and lands from the twelth to seventeenth century. During this time the castle consisted of two separate towers, constructed 3 meters apart. When the Murray family took occupancy, later on in the seventeenth century, they decided to merge the two towers, making the house look more like a regular country manor house. The bridging work between the two towers is still clearly noticeable today, on both the interior and exterior.

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