"Atholl Palace is a wonderful place to visit. The staff are very helpful and polite, nothing is a problem! The food is amazing and the rooms are made up daily. This is great for either a weekend break or stay for a week. Great for couples or families. The spa is also brilliant and relaxing. Book now and stay, you won't be disappointed!"
June 2007
Not much sign of global warming, this year, at the Palace. After a warm,bright April it has been a cool and wet early summer and as I write, in mid June, we are down to 13deg and persistent rain.
However all is not gloom. It has been “the year of the shrub” with many of that family flowering very profusely. The white lilac at the hotel door has never been better with lovely, trailing blooms of deep fragrance. The rhodies and azaleas have flowered well and long and the purple ceanothus and creamy spirea are in full flower. Newly planted dutch iris are flowering wonderfully in the herb garden as are the delphiniums although we watch the latter, nervously, in case the wind and rain wreaks havoc amongst these stately, colourful giants.
A tawny owl flew into the large window of the Atholl suite. It survived but left the most detailed etching of it’s round face and upturned wings…even the tiniest detail of it’s fine feathers could be seen. Two nights later it did it again, and survived. To survive one collision with a window is lucky. Two, very lucky…..I doubt it will survive the next one. Common fly-catchers have nested in the old wisteria. High up in the building but obviously a good vantage point for swooping out on flies to feed the brood. The ducks have failed to breed this year, why I’m not sure as there are plenty of adults about but few, if any, chicks. A stroll down the main stepway, in front of the hotel,will bring you to the "Catmint stairs". On a warm day spend a little time here, not only to admire the scent and texture of the flowers but to study the bees. Scotland only has about half a dozen species of bumble bee(at most) and feeding on the catmint you will find many of these. Red tailed ones, white tailed ones, large ones, small ones....well worth spending a few moments to enjoy a close encounter with this gentle, busy insect.The putting green continues to mature, the grass is becoming established in the Japanese garden and the winter-planted heather garden is settling in well.We have recently planted a small peony bed in the herb garden to add another dimension to this lovely area of the Palace gardens.
The annual “Pitlochry in Bloom secret gardens day” is set for Sunday August 5th. Several private gardens are open throughout the day as are the Palace gardens. Pimms will be served on the lawn before or after your tour. It’s a great chance to see some lovely gardens all within walking distance of the hotel. Innes
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