Enjoy the Cromarty sunsets from the garden patio, make the most of the area's fine local ingredients on the kitchen's Rayburn and come home to a roaring open fire after walks around town.

 

Accommodation details

• 2 storeys



• Sleeps 6 - 2 doubles, 1 twin



• Sitting room with open fire



• Kitchen



• Dining room/study area



• Bathroom with bath and shower over bath



• WC with wash basin



• Garden with patio



• Oil fired central heating



• Free parking on Church Street, around the corner

 

About the area

Cromarty has plenty to enchant both travellers and holidaymakers: sandy beaches, Georgian architecture, bottlenose dolphins, and bird colonies of international importance. It first became a Royal Burgh in the 13th century. In the 1700s salt-fish processing and sea-trade helped to swell the town's economy, and many of its famous merchants' houses date from this era.

 

Cromarty is only 40 minutes' drive from Inverness, the "capital of the Highlands".

 

Things to do

• Visit the birthplace of Hugh Miller. Miller was a stonemason, geologist and writer, whose thatched cottage is now a museum with a colourful garden of native plants.



• Climb the 'Hundred steps' to South Sutor, accessed via the Reeds Park Path along the shore at the east end of town. The Sutors are rocks on either side of the firth thought once to be the abode of two giant shoemakers.



• You'll be less than an hour's drive from Culloden. Discover the story behind the Jacobite uprising and the last battle to be fought on Scottish soil.

 

Getting there

Cromarty is 22 miles north-east of Inverness. From the Kessock Bridge in Inverness, follow the A9 north until signs for A832 to Cromarty.

< Hide

 

The house lies at the heart of Falkland's cobbled streets and old buildings, and is a perfect base from which to explore the rich history and rolling countryside of this picturesque part of Fife.

 

A stay at St Andrews House includes a complimentary visit to the Palace and gardens for non-members, during normal property opening hours.

 

Accommodation details

• First floor



• Sleeps 4 - 2 twin bedrooms



• Sitting room



• Kitchen



• Dining room



• Bathroom with bath only



• Gas central heating from gas fire with back boiler



• Immersion water heating



• Parking space available, plus free car park in the village, a short walk away



• A spiral staircase leads to the property which is regrettably not suitable for the infirm

 

About Falkland Palace

With a history that includes a murderous duke, an imprisoned king, several changes of hands and some of Mary Queen of Scots's happiest country days, Falkland Palace is a treasure trove of history, brought to life by exquisitely restored display rooms.

 

The current palace was built between 1450 and 1541 and served as the hunting residence of the Stewart kings and queens. Its tapestry corridor containing 17th century Flemish masterpieces is unmissable, as are the gardens which contain the oldest real (or royal) tennis court in Britain, built for James V.

 

About the area

History runs deep in the village of Falkland, a former Royal Burgh inhabited since before the 12th century. The Falkland hunting estate was given to Duncan Macduff, 6th earl of Fife in 1160 and served as a base for royalty and aristocracy right up until the twentieth century.

 

Falkland also found fortune as a weaving town, and in 1792 an estimated third of the village's population were weavers. Cobbled wynds, an old horsemarket and no less than 28 listed buildings add to the village's historic charm.

 

There are international restaurants and traditional pubs in the village, plus a small supermarket with a post office. To source your own local food, have a look at www.fifediet.co.uk for details on nearby farmers markets.

 

Things to do

• Spend a day at the seaside on one of Fife's famous beaches. West Sands at St Andrews, Silver Sands at Aberdour, Elie and Burntisland have all received the prestigious blue flag award, meaning they are safe, clean and have great facilities.



• Scale the summit of East Lomond, a 424m hill looming over Falkland's south west side. For the brave, its wooded slopes also have a series of downhill mountainbiking tracks.



• Soak up Edwardian elegance at Hill of Tarvit. A classic mansion house remodelled in 1906, there are 'upstairs' and 'downstairs' rooms to explore as well as a rose and kitchen garden.

 

Getting there

Falkland lies 11 miles north of Kirkcaldy on the A912. < Hide

 

The windows overlook the old courtyard, a remnant of the Royal Mile's medieval 'fishbone' structure, where closes, wynds and courts led down off the High Street's central spine. Though comfortably refurbished now, in Gledstanes's day living conditions in these 'high-rise' buildings were cramped. Records show that at one time or another he let parts of the building to a merchant, a minister, a knight and a guild officer.

 

Accommodation details

• Fourth floor



• Sleeps 2 - 1 twin bedroom



• Sitting room with gas fire



• Gas central heating



• Kitchen



• Bathroom with bath and shower



• As access is via a steep turnpike staircase, regretfully this property is not suitable for the infirm

 

 

About Gladstone's Land

A tall, narrow, six-storey 17th century townhouse, Gladstone's Land offers two floors of restored display rooms, giving a fascinating glimpse into the grandeur and the squalor of town life 400 years ago.

 

About the area

Edinburgh still buzzes with a mercantile spirit and there are always farmers markets, craft fairs, buskers and festivals to be discovered around the centre. In August the Royal Mile comes alive with street performers; at Christmas time the smell of mulled wine fills the air around Princes Street when the annual German market comes to town.

 

Things to do

• Follow the High Street from the crags of the Castle down to the medieval abbey and Palace of Holyrood, or wander down one of Edinburgh's infamous closes that lead from the Royal Mile towards Princes Street.



• There are plenty of restaurants dotted up and down the High Street serving Scottish and international fare, but for fine healthy local produce, head to the Saturday morning farmers market on Castle Terrace, a short walk away.



• See how the other half lived, in the National Trust for Scotland's lavishly refurbished Georgian House, across in Edinburgh's New Town.

 

Getting there

Gladstone’s Land is located in the Lawnmarket at the top of the Royal Mile. There is no parking available outside the property. Waverley Railway station is a ten-minute walk or a short taxi ride away. Edinburgh International airport offers a bus link to Waverley Station. < Hide