Newhailes House & Gardens (National Trust for Scotland) — Local services in Scotland

I'm amazed this place only has 4 reviews. Isn't it well known and if not why not?

Warm and helpful initial orientation from volunteer guide Tom. Astonishing property, like stepping back in time to the 1700s; accessible only by (good) guided tour (since 2013). Mine was by Norma. The family tour is ~45 mins; the other, thirty minutes longer includes the upstairs and kitchens which are worth seeing for the authentic feeling less evident in more renovated properties. The focus on the interior at Newhailes has been preservation not restoration down to the sofa with its innards spilling on to the floor but it is a fascinating experience. Stunning rococo plasterwork in the entrance by Thomas Clayton in seemingly good condition. See the Newhailes page on Undiscovered Scotland for more on the property.

Renovation of the grounds is underway but two years ago the house could apparently not even be seen from the stable block for the undergrowth. Don't go purposely for anything but historical interest for the shell grotto, former tea house and cascades for they are derelict but they must have been magnificent. The grounds host bluebells and woodland flowers in late spring.

There are plans for a children's playground and renovation of the flower garden. Big Easter efforts for children: an unusual Cadbury's egg trail with simple grid referencing, bouncy castle, face-painting etc and fun to see the Musselburgh wool bombers had been...

Really enjoyed our visit to Newhailes, such lovely grounds, the stables/court yard was just spectacular, oh to have horses there. My cousin who was visiting from the U.S was impressed with all the information board and it made us both curious and eager to go on to see the house. We had an absolutely brilliant tour with Margaret, her knowledge was incredible and she also pointed out lots of details that we would’ve missed without her noting it. The architecture and design of the property was just wonderful, the Chinese/Japanese artefacts within from their travels was unexpected and we enjoyed hearing all about the family and the last lady of newhailes & her cats.

It was the amazing staff members who made our visit, not only was Margaret great on the tour but there was another staff member in the gift shop, Kath I think her name was (I hope I’m remembering that rightly as it was afew weeks ago, Lady with short hair, very friendly and equally knowledgeable) . My cousin got a ticket for the house tour but rather embarrassingly I sadly could not afford to do this as I’m out of work just now (😞) so I could not and explained this. However, Kath very kindly helped me with the ticket cost, I was taking aback and blown away by her generosity and kindness as she didn’t need to do that. I had hoped to go back to tell her how wonderful the tour was but I unfortunately felt unwell. Thank you so much to both ladies, two...

Newhailes House is in Musselburgh, which is on the outskirts of Edinburgh. Built in the 1700s as a family home, it's a lovely home with gardens and woods to stroll around. The NTS has made a huge effort to provide facilities for children with a few crazy golf holes in the courtyard and an enclosed play area (£4 per child at the time of our visit). The courtyard entrance is home to the shop, cafe, and i believe a potter at the weekends. There are a couple of options for the guided tour, so I'd recommend booking a timeslot in advance. The house is not as large as you might expect from the outside as it's only one room deep, but there is still plenty to see. The main floor has beautiful period furniture and collections as you would expect, upstairs is a little more modern as this is where the last Lady of the House lived until she gifted it to the NTS. Surprisingly, it didn't come into Trust ownership till the late 1990s and opened in the early 2000s. There are stairs up to the main entrance and again inside to the upper floor so not wheelchair accessible. The courtyard, shops and cafe would all be accessible but not the house itself. There is a couple of walks through the woods and grounds which are popular and not too long with some beautiful scenery. We got the impression some people come to visit the grounds which would be free of charge, without visiting the house. All in all a lovely house and...