Scottish Borders self-catering rental Whitmuir Steading Cottage

Whitmuir Steading Cottage
Selkirk

Sleeping 4 (5)

At the end of a little country road between Melrose and Selkirk, in the heart of Walter Scott's romantic Border country, is Whitmuir Farm, where the American owners have painstakingly transformed one of the farm buildings into a luxury holiday cottage of great style and imagination.

To the front, there is a lovely grassed courtyard with a sweeping drive round, while to the back there is a secure and secluded grassed garden area (furniture).

Playroom Inside, the cottage is sublimely comfortable, beautifully furnished with traditional pieces and full of character. The large sitting room has an open fire, there is a gracious separate dining room, also with open fire, and a very well-equipped kitchen and utility room. One set of stairs go up from the sitting room to an upstairs landing, off which there is a double bedroom and a further double bedroom with bathroom between. Then there is also a huge and quite amazing games/additional sitting room, with a TV for computer games, accessible from the second bedroom, which can also be reached by a spiral staircase from the downstairs hallway. The cottage was once a granary, and the old loading winch has been left to form a further interesting feature in the games room. There is much to do in the surrounding area, with numerous excellent golf courses within a 10 mile radius, with quiet fairways and very reasonable green fees, (buy a Freedom of the Fairways ticket and gain access to over 20 of them!), swimming pools at Selkirk (4m, all facilities) and Galashiels (8m), riding at Ashkirk (10m), a leisure centre at Hawick (15m) and, of course, Edinburgh itself is just an hour's drive away.

There are lovely walks in the area, through the surrounding countryside, or you could join up with the Southern Upland Way at Fairnilee (7m) or St Cuthbert's Way, which runs from Melrose (6m) to Lindisfarne.

There are also many fascinating reminders of this country's turbulent history. Visit the four ruined Border Abbeys of Melrose, Kelso, Dryburgh and Jedburgh, as well as numerous country houses and castles. Sir Walter Scott's own beloved home of Abbotsford is just a few miles away, as is the Duke of Buccleuch's imposing Bowhill, where there is also an excellent adventure playground in the grounds.

Heating is by oil-fired central heating (included) and open fire (starter pack of fuel included). Bed linen and towels are included. Internet access is available. Sorry, no smokers or pets. Parents of young children are advised that Whitmuir is a working farm, and farm vehicles do from time to time pass the rear of the cottage.