Sir Walter Scott’s historic home re-opens – Abbotsford, the historic home of Scottish Borders legend Sir Walter Scott, re-opened its doors on the famous author’s birthday, Saturday 15th August.
The historic house had been closed for nearly five months, since Friday 20th March, due to the Coronavirus pandemic.
Changes have been introduced to comply with government guidance including timed entry tickets to enable social distancing and making the popular audio tour available for mobile phones.
Abbotsford’s Chief Executive, Giles Ingram, said: “We are delighted to be finally opening the door to Scott’s fantastic home. We have had a phased re- opening of the Abbotsford estate, starting with the walled gardens, the café, shop and five-star accommodation in July. It’s now wonderful to be able to complete the final phase and welcome visitors back to the historic house and chapel.
“We have put new measures in place to meet government guidance and to enable our visitors to have a relaxed, enjoyable visit. It’s a great day out for the family, with all areas now open.
“At the moment we can only open the house four days a week, but we hope we will be able to increase this. We are also planning to extend our season this year and keep the house open through December, with Christmas celebrations for visitors and the local community.”
Visitors are encouraged to book their time-slot for the house online before travelling to Abbotsford. They should also pre-book their table & food at Ochiltree’s café to avoid disappointment. Full details are available on the Abbotsford website: scottsabbotsford.com
The historic house and chapel will be open Thursday – Sunday, 10am – 4pm (last entry 3pm), every week, starting on Saturday August 15th.
Abbotsford’s Regency Walled Gardens, Ochiltree’ cafe, gift shop and Sir Walter Scott exhibition are open seven days a week, 10am- 4pm. Ochiltree’s café is also taking part in the ‘Eat Out to Help Out’ scheme, every Monday – Wednesday during August.
Leave a Reply