Newhailes House

Walk through three centuries of history in a 17th-century house once owned by the prominent Dalrymple family. See old books and ancient features, visit abandoned rooms that were only recently unlocked and walk the woodland grounds.
The abandoned servants’ kitchen and scullery in the 17th-century Newhailes House would make for a great opening scene in a period drama (albeit a creepy one). These rooms were locked up from the 1940s to the 1990s so it's a real privilege to enter them now.
Once the residence of the influential Dalrymple family, much of this Palladian stately home near Edinburgh has been left the way it was. Historical wonders range from the Chinese wallpaper and Italian marble fireplaces, to the gilded eagles guarding the drawing room, to the old books and polar bear rug in the library.
Exit the house the same way the servants did - through a tunnel - and take a woodland walk in the gorgeous grounds.
The National Trust for Scotland is in the middle of an exciting conservation project to restore some of the 18th-century landscape, including the flower garden, kitchen garden and formal lawns. There's a tea house and a shell grotto, plus stunning views across the Forth and beyond. A visit to Newhailes House is a magical trip from Edinburgh into real Scottish history.