Champagne send off for season at House of Dun

The last visitors to help the National Trust for Scotland’s House of Dun in Montrose celebrate its 20th season as a top Angus visitor attraction got a special treat on Saturday 31 October – a surprise gift and glass of champagne.

The beautiful Georgian house ran its final tours for visitors on Saturday before closing at the end of a very successful season. The house has seen visitors increase by 1500 this season, compared to last.

Amongst the final visitors to enjoy the house this Halloween were Ian and Jackie Strachan from Blackburn in Aberdeen and their children Claire (10) and Callum who were visiting as a special birthday treat for Callum who was six on 31 October. They were also joined by local couple Les and Irene Turriff from Brechin.

As a thank you, staff supplied the esteemed final guests of the season with a glass of champagne for the adults and goodie bags for the younger visitors.

The Strachan family joined the National Trust for Scotland in September and were determined to complete the Gnashional Treasure Hunt trail which has been running at 26 Trust properties across Scotland, since July. The hunt challenged young visitors to spot the Gnashers (from the beloved Beano) which were hidden all over the fantastic historic houses, collect stamps at every visit and to send off for a special prize.

The Strachan family have now visited four Trust properties - Crathes Castle, Castle Fraser and Fyvie Castle, all in Aberdeenshire, as well as House of Dun in just over a month, meaning that both Claire and Callum collected the maximum number of stamps and can claim an excellent Dennis and Gnasher themed reward.

Property Manager John McKenna said:

“Our 20th season has been a fantastic success at the House of Dun. Our visitor numbers have increased this summer and it has been great fun getting the younger visitors involved with our Dennis and Gnasher trail.

“While the season is over, there will still be plenty going on at House of Dun over the next few months. We are really pleased to be hosting the launch of popular folk group Shinsheen’s debut album on 13 November and the house will be transformed into a festive wonderland for our annual Christmas Fair on 5 and 6 December – when Santa himself will be dropping by.

“I’d really like to thank all our visitors and supporters, dedicated staff and volunteers who have helped make this season such a success. We hope to welcome many more visitors in the Spring, and in the meantime remember that the gardens and grounds are open all year round, so keep popping in.”