The Old Place of Monreith - a Scottish Adventure

Well the holiday season is long gone, degree year half way through, lousy weather looms, and its that time of year when it all feels a bit flat so....Wilderness beckoned... a much needed respite from the real world - a small cosy Scottish tower house castle located up in Dumfries and Galloway, booked through the Landmark Trust. 

There were (not so secret) seven of us that hit the high life in the lowlands of Scotland for a few days of r&r, good food, good company, silly games, wind swept walks and generally a very pleasant break. There was no television, no internet and not very much phone signal unless you contorted up and out of a second floor window so a real cut off from the outside world.

We didn't need external influences -we are all well practiced at entertaining ourselves and each other ...and the stunning scenery more then compensated for the lack of electronic devices.

Do not be deceived by the austerity of this building - it was wonderfully comfortable and warm inside with lots of living space, a lovely big dining kitchen and a snug sitting room both with wood burning stoves for added homeliness.

We all mucked in to produce meals and the food was totally excessive and extremely good. Far too many puddings and rich yummy treats. One evening we celebrated being in Bonnie Scotland by have a late Burns supper.  We all dressed for the occasion - Scottie dog onesies and tartan tam o' shanto's out in full glory.  The ginger mustache, beard and eyebrows wreaked a total transformation....

The days brought various walks - the hills, the beach, around local villages. The weather was fresh to say the least but apart from a few snow flurries the sun generally shone on us and we all wrapped up well - It was so lovely to be out on the beach - hardly another person to be seen.

That evening we 'dressed' for dinner - some more then others - its all part of the overall fun... some people take it very seriously!!!

I think, once again, Dr Fred has his eyes closed so no one recognises him

We had a number of party games planned but in fact we ate so much we could hardly move.. so only actually managed a quick game of antler hoopla..  Although the boys did have a techno disco dominoes session later that night...  the girls had more sense - withdrawing to the sitting room to sit in front of a roaring fire and do exciting things like embroidery and jigsaws!!!

The castle is full of nooks and crannies and a very grand stone spiral staircase in the tower - the rooms are furnished in a practical but interesting fashion, using classic pieces simple but still instilling a luxury feel.  Given that Landmark Trust places are booked out non stop they are beautifully kept and it always feels like we are living in a very special place for a few days.

We are already planning the next location...