Stunningly located in the land of the mountains and the glens, Culdee Cottage is a cosy luxury holiday cottage complete with tranquil views. This idyllic retreat provides a fantastic place to catch the colourful Scottish sunset.
The cottage has a spacious open plan sitting/dining room and a well-equipped kitchen. Unwind in front of the log fire with something from the small library of books, have fun with the board games, or make use of the DVD player. Also on the ground floor is a twin room with a wet room, complete with shower seat and grab rails. There is one small step into the cottage (13 cm/5 inches). Upstairs the bedroom has a king-size bed and luxury bathroom with bath and shower. All towels and non-allergenic bedding (duvets) provided. Both bedrooms have beautiful views of the countryside. A cot can be provided for one infant.
Culdee Cottage is attached to the owners’ house, Pilgrim Lodge. Both buildings were once part of the farm steading belonging to Broomhall, a farm dating back to around 1747.The farmhouse disappeared some time ago, and some of the farm buildings were burned down about twenty years ago. What remained was converted by the previous owners into a wonderful home, complete with the old ‘horse engine mill’, a large circular barn in which Dobbin would have spent all day walking round and round to turn the machinery to grind the corn.
Culdee Cottage lies at the foot of Glen Isla. From here you can walk in the Angus Glens, ski at Glenshee (40 minutes), catch trout and salmon in the lochs and rivers, explore by bicycle or horse, or go bird-watching at Lintrathen or Kinnordy nature reserves. You might catch sight of hares leaping in the fields, or deer roaming in the hills. And there are golf courses less than 20 minutes away at Alyth, Glenisla and Strathmore, with several other courses within easy reach. You will be refreshed by the pure air and invigorated by the exercise.
From the doorstep it is an easy two mile walk to the spectacular Reekie Lynn Waterfalls, while a more challenging walk would be to try part of the 64 mile (103 kilometres) circular Cateran Trail, which runs close to the Cottage. Full of breathtaking landscapes, this route is named after the marauding cattle thieves who roamed the area in the 15th and 16th centuries. Visit James Barrie’s birthplace in Kirriemuir, the ‘little red town’ 10 miles away, with its statue of Peter Pan in the centre and its warren of little wynds or lanes. Stop by the historic buildings of Glamis, once home to the late Queen Mother, and Scone Palace, the site of the coronations of the kings of Scotland. Meigle has some of the most important Pictish stones carved by the primitive Scots, and Pictavia, the award-winning visitor centre in Brechin, will provide you with the fascinating history of Scotland’s Pictish tribes. Activity filled or relaxing, one week is not long enough to experience all that this part of Scotland has to offer.
The large garden, shared with the owners, has plenty of seating to relax and enjoy the wild life – red squirrels are frequent visitors. Providing a background of water music, the River Isla runs to the north of the garden and the Kilry Burn to the south. After a bracing bike ride, store your bicycles in the lockable shed and continue the outdoor theme with an al fresco barbecue. Alternatively, Alyth, 5 miles away has good restaurants, as do some of the Golf Club
Sorry: no smoking, no children under the age of 10 (except infants), no pets.