Scotland: Glenholme Country House and Gardens

Glenholme Country House and Gardens

 

Our family has wanted to visit Scotland for sometime now and Glenholme Country House is on our list of places to stay.  Glenholme in Scottish means "looks well", and does it ever, a large bed and breakfast that is as relaxing as it is elegant.  Built of local whinstone and sandstone, this Victorian home is set back from the road and stands high on a ridge overlooking meadows which stretch down to the River Dee.

It is situated just a mile from the center of the small fishing port of Kirkcudbright in Dumfries and Galloway, one of the most beautiful areas of Southwest Scotland.

Glenholme Country House is the home of proprietors Laurence and Jennifer Bristow-Smith, and boasts one and a half acres of well-tended gardens and wildlife.  Pheasants stalk across the lawn to the back door where Jennifer feeds them.  Swallows nest in the stable block, and just a short walk along the river from Glenholme, are Scotland’s largest reed beds located on the River Dee.  Here you can see cormorants, herons and a variety of duck and waterfowl, kingfishers, and otters playing under Cumstoun Bridge.

Fireside eating in the Dinning Room

Laurence and Jennifer have had a long experience of living abroad and between the two of them they speak:  English, French, Italian, Norwegian and Chinese. (wow) Jennifer makes her homemade jams for breakfast, while Laurence is Head Chef.  Most of their produce comes from their kitchen garden and is picked fresh daily.

Passionate about antique textiles and haberdashery, Jennifer designs each room with her beautiful, one-of-a-kind finds.  I would want to wake up each morning in this room because the sun touched my face, and just lie there looking out at the view, until the birds called me to come have coffee, then lose myself in the coolness of an early morning walk through the gardens until breakfast.

Each of the four bedrooms are named after political figures from the Victorian and Edwardian eras.  The atmosphere of the house stays true to its history, but is charmingly updated. 

The large Library is a comfortable place to relax by the fire; it's book-lined walls have a traditional feel that beckons you to come sit for awhile. 

This is the Rookery, a self-contained holiday cottage that was once the servants’ quarters of the main house.  The Rookery has been transformed into a light and spacious self-catering accommodation with two en suite bedrooms, a large lounge and dining area with an open fireplace, and a newly-designed fully-equipped kitchen accommodating families or small groups.  Guests staying at the Rookery have their own private area of the garden to enjoy en plein air dinning.

Path in the garden

There are three different gardens for guests to enjoy: the formal garden, the wild garden and pond, and the kitchen garden and orchard.  The lawns and formal gardens descend into terraces where rooks colonize the treetops;  a pond with flag irises and water-lilies, a vegetable garden consisting of eight raised beds which provide food throughout the summer months, and a small orchard.   I recently had a conversation with someone from Scotland, because my whole family loves a Scottish brogue I had them on speaker.  We chatted about the weather, it was raining at the time in Scotland, the beautiful countryside and shopping.  She advised we come in the summer months when it's doesn't rain as much, and I said "I love rain!" She replied in her wonderful accent, "Scotland 's for ya then."  And it is.  Glenholme Country House and Gardens is the consummate destination to get away from it all and capture the beauty of the Scottish Countryside. 

All the best, Rié

 

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