Drumlanrig Castle is situated on the Queensberry Estate in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. The 'Pink Palace' of Drumlanrig, constructed between 1679 and 1689 from distinctive pink sandstone, is an example of late 17th-century Renaissance architecture. The first Duke of Queensberry, William Douglas, had the castle built on the site of an ancient Douglas stronghold overlooking the Nith Valley. The castle has 120 rooms, 17 turrets and four towers.
The castle features attractions for both tourists and local residents, situated in the former stable yard, and in an off-section of the rear gardens. These include the Stableyard Studios with a range of local businesses, a tearoom and an adventure playground.
Drumlanrig’s rich history is complemented by being home to some of the jewels of the Buccleuch Collection. Created over many generations and five centuries by the Montagu, Douglas and Scott forbears of the Dukes of Buccleuch and Queensberry, it is internationally recognised as one of the most important in the country.
Pride of place goes to Rembrandt’s An Old Woman Reading, but with family portraits by artists such as Thomas Gainsborough, Alan Ramsay and Sir Joshua Reynolds, landscapes by Paul Sandby and the Dutch masters, and cartoons by Rowlandson, it has the capacity to appeal to all tastes.
The Château du Lude is one of the many great châteaux of the Loire Valley in France. Le Lude is the most northerly château of the Loire Valley and one of the last important historic castles in France, still inhabited by the same family for the last 260 years. The château is testimony to four centuries of French architecture, as a stronghold transformed into an elegant house during the Renaissance and the 18th century. The monument is located in the valley of Le Loir. Its gardens have evolved throughout the centuries.