Yes, following government guidance and to help us with capacity management and physical distancing measures on site visitors, including over the Ticket Giveaway weekend, will need to book in advance online a date and time slot that suits. Each time slot has a limited capacity and once these are full, we will not be able to accommodate additional visitors.
No, the time shown is the earliest you can arrive, and you can arrive at any point within your chosen time slot.
No. Children age 15 years and under must be accompanied by an adult aged 16 years or over.
You may be asked for ID on arrival. Please bring along some form of ID with your name on it, it doesn’t specifically have to be driver’s licence or passport.
Please send an email to ticketing@hes.scot before 4.30pm on Thursday 26 November, providing the order number and the names that you wish the booking to be changed to.
Please send an email to ticketing@hes.scot before 4.30pm on Thursday 26 November, providing the order number if possible. Alternatively, please provide the name and email address used at the time of booking.
Due to the volume of enquires we receive we are unable to offer a waiting list, if we receive any cancellations these will go back online for anyone to book. We recommend that you keep checking the Ticket Giveaway website periodically.
This could appear for various reasons however we would recommend firstly ensuring that you only have a maximum of 2 adults and 3 children in your basket and that you have selected a date a time for your visit. If this fails it might be that there is not enough capacity for the number of tickets requested. We recommend contacting ticketing@hes.scot for further assistance.
In the event of severe weather, we may need to close some of our sites over the Ticket Giveaway weekend. The sites will close if the weather presents a hazard and a risk to visitors. We recommend that you check our website or our Twitter account (#HSclosure) on the day you are going to visit, as a closure notice will be posted here first.
In the event of closures at any of our sites due to COVID-19, we will be in touch with all ticket holders to offer an alternative date to use the ticket(s).
We are supporting NHS Scotland’s Test and Protect to help ensure the health and safety of all visitors to our sites. As such this will mean that we will be recording the name and contact details of visitors making an online booking to visit our sites over the Ticket Giveaway weekend. This information will be used to enable NHS Scotland to contact you should you have been at one of our sites at the same time as someone who has tested positive for coronavirus. For further information on how we will process your data please see our privacy notice.
We are required by law to take all reasonable measures to ensure that distance of at least 2m is maintained between all people at our sites, and everyone visiting our sites. Signage to remind visitors about distancing will be available on site which may also include one-way systems. Screens will be in place at ticketing points and till points to separate visitors from our staff.
The health and safety of our visitors is our main priority. On entry, a hygiene station will be located at all ticketed sites. We ask all visitors to clean their hands-on entry. Enhanced cleaning regimes will be in place at all ticketed sites, including all touch points and toilet facilities. Our staff have been fully trained and cleaning regimes will also be constantly under review and will be adjusted as required.
Some of our sites do have parking however each site is different so you may need to book a car space when booking your ticket. Please check the information on the web page for the site you wish to visit.
Where sites normally have toilets, they will be open. Please see individual site listings. Enhanced cleaning measures will be in place across all facilities.
Some shops may be open. The cafés at Edinburgh, Stirling and Urquhart Castles and Fort George are open. Please see individual site listings.
For shops that are open, visitors are required to wear a face covering as per current government guidance and use hand sanitiser when entering. Entry will be managed on a 1 in 1 out basis, with capacity capped and queues managed by a member of the retail team.
We will not be accepting cash payment. Purchases can be made by card payments only.
We encourage you to bring a face covering with you when visiting our sites. In line with Scottish Government legislation and guidance, facing coverings are mandatory if you are visiting our shops and if you are entering our cafes and are not seated at a table (subject to some exceptions). Please note masks will not be provided, so make sure you bring one with you.
Face coverings are not required while visiting external areas of the sites. Government guidance recommends wearing face coverings in enclosed spaces, so you may wish to consider wearing a face covering if you are in enclosed indoor areas or other enclosed spaces at the sites
If you feel wearing a face covering will make you more comfortable during your visit, then please wear one, as we want you to enjoy your visit as much as possible.
This potentially is a printer issue/setting. Please print out the confirmation email with your order number to allow our staff to trace your booking.
If the barcode isn’t displaying on your computer, it may be a security setting on the computer itself. We recommend checking the top of your email for a message to "display images" of the email as they may be hidden.
No. Tickets presented on smart devices will not be accepted as these cannot be scanned for entry.
If only one name change is required, and the named adult is still going, there will not be an issue to gain entry on arrival with the current confirmation email if the named adult has ID.
No. The ticket can only be used on the date and time specified on the ticket. The ticket cannot be transferred to another day, even if the site must close due to weather. This is detailed in the terms and conditions agreed to whilst booking.
Tickets need to be used on the date selected. Due to capacity restraints at the sites, you must visit during your selected timeslot and once timeslots are full, we cannot accommodate additional visitors. Entry cannot be guaranteed if you miss your timeslot.
If you can no longer use your tickets, please let us know and they can be re-allocated to someone else. Please email ticketing@hes.scot with the order number and the name it was booked under, we will cancel the booking.
Please do not visit if you feel unwell with any symptoms of COVID-19 or have come into contact with anyone who may have symptoms. Contact us at ticketing@hes.scot with your booking details to cancel your visit.