Cottages That Sleep 16 In Scotland

Reviews

What our customers say about their holidays

• Confirmed Guest - Verified booking

  We enjoyed our week in Barscobe House. It has a lovely prospect looking over the countryside, set in a well kept estate, and a large secluded garden with a mowed lawn. There are walks starting from the house e.g. the Holy Linn waterfall, and up into the hills. It was reunion for three generations of a family, coming together from Edinburgh, Yorkshire, London and Maine USA. It was helpful having the caretaker and housekeeper staying on the estate to help with queries. We also used a local agent, who had good local knowledge. The kitchen is very well equipped: it is difficult to know what one is going to find in a holiday let, but this property has the sense of a much loved family house, well designed for catering. There were many baking trays, cake, bun and loaf tins, a blender, food processor, hand mixer, ice maker… A real old fashioned larder, 2 fridges (one with a freezer section) and a chest freezer. Ample cutlery and crockery etc. Good recycling arrangements (glass to the nearby village, or local supermarkets). Two washing machines, a tumble dryer, an old style wooden ceiling pulley for clothes (in a separate scullery). Two dishwashers. Some of the chairs and furnishing are wabi-sabi, but we found this made it comfy, and matches the house. Beds comfortable, nice cotton bedding, plumbing good, very toasty hot press to dry/air clothes. We already knew that Castle Douglas is a foodie town, and it didn’t disappoint: three butchers (we used Grierson’s, excellent), bakers, a greengrocer, and we ended the week ordering a very good fish supper from Moore’s (with a rigid insulated box and a foil-lined bag, they stayed hot enough on the 25 minute drive). The nearby village of Balmaclellan has a friendly community shop for messages like fresh milk. There are mobile fish van shops in the region too. We were lucky with the weather, but the house has a snooker table (pool too? Not my strong suit!) and lots of indoor space should the weather break - we did consider playing “Sardines”, but actually spent a lot of time exploring local attractions for outdoorsy types (some of my family has an affinity for cold water, and swam enthusiastically in Loch Ken), with the coast not too far away. We were sad (in a way) not to need the fires, that’d be cosy indeed. The “dark sky” area meant that on clear nights we could see the Perseid “falling stars”. The wifi dropped out occasionally but this wasn’t a problem for us. The caretaker was on hand on the one occasion the router needed rebooting. We understand that infrastructure improvements are coming soon. It is an interesting old building (early 20th century) that must be challenging to keep from disrepair. The windows alone are a daunting task. The hefty security deposit is unusual in these days, but I see why it is imposed, and it was repaid within the week. The entry time of 5 pm is the latest we’ve ever been offered (due to cleaning schedule, I think), but we built that into our arrival time. We had one electric car in our party: the provision at the house is currently via a standard indoor socket using one’s own trickle feed cable: rather slow, and the surcharge seemed arbitrary (not metered, rather high) - but we did opt to use it as the fast chargers in Castle Douglas were in use/out of order: the infrastructure will presumably eventually catch up (and I don’t just mean at this property). Highly recommended.

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• Lynda - Verified booking

  The location of the house and the gardens were perfect.

  The grounds were well kept and beautiful. The on site house keeper was very helpful. We especially enjoyed the badminton net and actually replaced it. The kids really loved the flying fox. We appreciated the equipment left to play with. The house size and the games room were excellent. We were disappointed with the cleanliness of the property - the kitchens work surfaces were not cleaned properly. There were a lot of cobwebs in property, and the fly wrappers were disgusting. Some of the furnishings were worn and could have easily been patched up: rooms in this house looked tired. None of these things spoiled our holiday; however this is not what you would expect from a luxury property. The cottage we also booked smelt damp which was not acceptable. The other disappointing experience was the information changing about whether we could have 2 dogs. Originally we were told we would could take 2 dogs in the one cottage and at the last minute we were told we would have to pay for the second cottage for the second dog. This led to a lot of confusion. At the very last minute we were then told we could have both dogs in the one cottage. It was a shame this was not communicated properly.

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• Ken - Verified booking

  We booked Riechip around 4 months ago after our original booking for another property was cancelled.

  We realised when we booked Riechip that it was a Hunting Lodge and not luxurious accommodation with many facilities, which was reflected in the price so our expectations were not high. In the end Riechip slightly exceeded expectations. We had 14 adults and 2 infants so both the dining room and the living room were more than big enough for our gatherings. With 3 showers and 3 WCs there was never any conflict. Some of the rooms had hand basins. The kitchen was big enough to allow cooking for 14 and there were more than sufficient plates and glasses etc. Having 2 fridges, 2 freezers and 2 dishwashers was definitely a bonus. The view from the lounge was spectacular. Overall Riechip was comfortable but some of the decor, furniture and facilities were getting a little tired. If like us you do not have high expectations you can have a great holiday here, particularly if you have a large party, with the ability to sit out front and admire the view or to travel further up the hill to the isolated loch on the moor. In summary we had a great holiday and if looking for a large property competitively priced, to get away from it all, in future we would certainly consider Riechip.

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• Anna - Verified booking

  Spectacular stay and perfect getaway

  The Dunnet Estate exceeded all our expectations… and our expectations were high. A week of luxury for our extended family. We loved having the space to hang out all together or escape to one of the many beautiful rooms on offer. It was a perfect setting for a murder mystery party, Easter egg hunt, toasted marshmallows around the fire pit, a fantastically equipped kitchen with everything we needed. Even allowing for for last minute birthday cakes to be whipped up. The kids loved the space which proved perfect for hide and seek, as well as the excitement of a cinema room and table tennis. Beautiful rooms, all recently refurbished to the highest standard. How often can you say you’ve slept in the same room as the queen mother or had a shower in a turret with a view? Lots of things on offer to do locally. We enjoyed walks around Dunnet Head, a chilly dip in the sea at Peedie Sands, wild swimming in the loch, trip to the most northerly point of the mainland, took in views of the Orkneys, encountered seals swimming off the headland and a touch of gin and whiskey tasting. An unforgettable family holiday in a beautiful place.

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• Anna - Verified booking

  Spectacular stay and perfect getaway

  The Dunnet Estate exceeded all our expectations… and our expectations were high. A week of luxury for our extended family. We loved having the space to hang out all together or escape to one of the many beautiful rooms on offer. It was a perfect setting for a murder mystery party, Easter egg hunt, toasted marshmallows around the fire pit, a fantastically equipped kitchen with everything we needed. Even allowing for for last minute birthday cakes to be whipped up. The kids loved the space which proved perfect for hide and seek, as well as the excitement of a cinema room and table tennis. Beautiful rooms, all recently refurbished to the highest standard. How often can you say you’ve slept in the same room as the queen mother or had a shower in a turret with a view? Lots of things on offer to do locally. We enjoyed walks around Dunnet Head, a chilly dip in the sea at Peedie Sands, wild swimming in the loch, trip to the most northerly point of the mainland, took in views of the Orkneys, encountered seals swimming off the headland and a touch of gin and whiskey tasting. An unforgettable family holiday in a beautiful place.

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