Category Archives: Conservation

Conservation, Pet Friendly, Seasonal, Travel, Wildlife

Bemersyde Estate: A Hidden Gem in the Scottish Borders

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Nestled in the heart of the Scottish Borders, Bemersyde House is not any ordinary holiday home; it’s a destination and an unforgettable experience to share with the people you love. Despite its grandeur, Bemersyde House will feel like a home away from home the moment you enter. Here, you’re not a guest, you’re a part of the story.

You have full run of the estate, including the array of woodlands to wander, lawns to lounge on, a tennis court and a yoga room. While the estate alone has enough to fill your holiday agenda, Bemersyde is located among the magnificent landscapes of the sublime Scottish Borders, meaning there’s plenty of hills to scale, rivers to stroll along and woodland wanderers to find on your adventures. 

A scenic autumn view in Scotland featuring vibrant orange and red trees surrounded by rolling hills.

A Harbinger of History

Bemersyde House, originally built in the 12th century, is found among 12,000 acres of estate and offers 800 years of fascinating history. The impressive 16th-century Peel Tower, which played a part in defending the Scottish Borders, still remains at the front of the house. Bemersyde has faced many challenges, including being burned down in 1545. After being rebuilt in 1581, Bemersyde House has remained ever since, though some of the stones from the original building date back to the 12th century. Just outside the front of the house, you will find the 800–900-year-old ‘Covin Tree’, one of the UK’s oldest sweet chestnuts that was once struck by lightning.

A scenic autumn view in Scotland featuring vibrant orange and red trees surrounded by rolling hills.

A Room for Every Mood

Bemersyde retains the authenticity of the 16th-century building but benefits from luxury modernisation. It is noticeable upon entrance that Bemersyde is beautifully decorated throughout with breathtaking art. Bemersyde’s east wing can be turned into a private space if you’re travelling with multiple groups who require their own accommodation. While the bottom floor of the west wing (the fisherman’s wing) is ideal for those with limited mobility, another couple or for accommodating a private chef.

Vaulted ceilings, carved stone fireplaces, unique wallpaper and canopy beds, each bedroom tells its own story. Bemersyde House boasts an impressive 11 bedrooms housing 23 guests altogether, holding either a king-size or super king-sized bed, excluding one single bedroom and a dormitory bedroom, perfect for the young ones. Whichever bedroom you choose, it’s sure to have its own distinctive personality. Although each bedroom is unique, one thing is certain: magnificent views of the beautiful Scottish Borders. Down to the Tweed, out to the Eildon Hills or the rolling hills on the Bemersyde Estate.

The cloakroom is equipped with golf clubs, fishing rods, tennis rackets, croquet mallets and more. While the games room on the top level, adjacent to the dormitory bedroom, is equipped with a pool table, table tennis, and plenty of books and board games, enough to keep you entertained for days.

Spend sunny afternoons down at the tennis court, sneak into the morning room at dawn and watch the sunrise, or cook up a hearty meal on the impressive outdoor BBQ station, built by the estate. Any and every activity you desire is available at Bemersyde.

A scenic autumn view in Scotland featuring vibrant orange and red trees surrounded by rolling hills.

Indulge in the Kitchen Garden

Depending on the season, the walled garden at Bemersyde will be stocked with an abundance of goodies from sun-warmed tomatoes, crisp lettuces, soft berries, rhubarb, courgettes, or armfuls of herbs. Guests not only have the gift of cooking with the delicious ingredients grown just out the door, but experience a taste of Bemersyde. Much of the produce also finds its way to the Kitchen Garden, where jam, chutney, pickles, pesto, soup, pasta sauces and more are prepared by hand by the mastermind behind it all, Margaret. Guests can also request for the goodies from the Garden Kitchen to be left in Bemersyde House, sorting out lunches and snacks for your stay.

A scenic view of a dog walking along a tree-lined path in a peaceful Scottish landscape.

The Estate Grounds

The River Tweed makes the perfect walk companion, where you’ll find ospreys and otters while strolling along the bank. The river is brilliant for trying the world-class salmon fishing or catching a few trout in the late hours. Relax in the sunken garden or the bench underneath the ‘Covin Tree’. Book guided walks, wildlife tours, clay pigeon shooting and private dining experiences on the estate. Opportunities for bird watching and photography on the estate can be found on quieter walks. The estate also boasts Bemersyde Moss, a nature reserve, perfect for wildlife enthusiasts to watch wildlife pass by. The dark skies at Bemersyde are another natural beauty. Grab the handy telescope provided by the estate and host a beautiful evening of stargazing at the unpolluted night sky.  

A scenic view of a dog walking along a tree-lined path in a peaceful Scottish landscape.

Beyond Bemersyde

One of the highlights of staying at Bemersyde House is how effortlessly the outdoors becomes part of your stay. A few minutes’ walk brings you to the iconic lookout at Scott’s View, the same sublime Scottish Borders scenery that Sir Walter Scott once cherished. A 20-minute stroll guides you down to the William Wallace Statue. Walk further along the River Tweed for an abundance of beautiful routes; the Eildon Hills rise just across the valley for longer, more challenging adventures. Horse riding is available at the stables near Bemersyde, or venture a little further for clay pigeon shooting at Bisley at Braidwood (the top shooting school in Scotland) in Selkirk.

Travel to a charming nearby town, Melrose and Kelso, both of which have beautiful Abbeys to wander and cafés to rest and dine in. Wander the Walled Garden at nearby Floors Castle or take an hour’s walk, passing over the Tweed into St Boswells’ for the award-winning book shop, Mainstreet Trading Company, browse, try a sweet treat in the café, or pick up a snack from the deli.

A scenic view of a winding path through a forest with autumn foliage in Scotland.

Memories to last a lifetime

If somehow Bemersyde House isn’t big enough, the estate also provides extra accommodation in the form of West Cottage. Ideal for access to all the luxuries of the Bemersyde Estate but with a cosy cottage as your base! Sleeping 4 (and your pet), West Cottage offers the perfect additional space for groups staying at Bemersyde House or smaller groups wishing to experience all the benefits of the Bemersyde grounds and estate.

As guests contend:

“Such a beautiful house in a beautiful setting. Truly unique experience”

“We really are starting to think of this as a home from home.”

“We will always cherish the memories that we made here.”

Bemersyde is impressive and grand, but never formal. Always warm, comfortable, and full of personality, the house encourages watching the sunrise from the morning room, board games by the fire, long conversations around the dinner table, and spending quality time with the people you love.

Come see for yourself and be a part of the Bemersyde story.

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Conservation, Things to see, Travel, Wildlife

Horses for Coarses

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It is the time of year that the necessary chore of cutting the grass of any green space that you are responsible for begins. Indeed, here at Unique Cottages, the office Flymo was dragged out of hibernation in the garage and put to work in the garden this morning! However, with much of Scotland’s fine landscape covered in greenery, some of it very remote and hard to access for even the most robust of mowers, a more imaginative approach has been required for one particular east coast beauty spot. Many horses this weekend will be traveling great distances in order to race in the English Grand National (there is a Scottish Grand National, but not until next weekend). But none have probably travelled quite so far as the newest residents of the Loch of Strathbeg nature reserve in Aberdeenshire. Rare wild Konik horses have been brought all the way from Holland to help with the battle against the coarse grasses of the area taking over. The last descendants of the truly wild horse, which last ran free in Scotland approximately 6000 years ago, these remarkable animals love nothing more than eating their way through the coarse grasses, which, if left uncontrolled begin to impact on the more delicate habitats of the area. Reducing the need for vegetation to be artificially stripped away by mechanical devices, this tiny herd will help to ensure that many of the other wild inhabitants of the nature reserve continue to enjoy the unique environment that Loch Strathbeg provides. Loch Strathbeg, a designated Special Protection Conservation Area, is the largest dune loch in Britain. There are hides where visitors can watch the natural residents as well as an information centre where you can find out more about what you spied. The loch is looked after by the RSPB and more details about the variety of wildlife that lives here can be found on their website. Aside from the reserve itself there is much to be enjoyed in this attractive part of the country, to the east is the Cairngorm National Park, to the north and west is an inviting stretch of Scottish coastline which boasts the title of ‘sunniest corner of Scotland’! Unique Cottages has two fabulous properties not far from Loch Strathbeg, Cairness Lodge and Beach Retreat both ideal bases to explore this charming region.

Conservation, Things to do, Things to see, Travel

Going out on a limb.

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After the ice age, when the glaciers melted, greenery once again reclaimed the lands of Scotland and pioneer native trees began to grow and spread.  At one time, much of Scotland was covered in indigenous forest, with trees such as Birch, Willow, Ash, Hazel, Yew and Rowan dominating the landscape.   However, now only 1% of Scotland’s land is covered by this type of ancient woodland, but the area’s where it still remains have become a priority in relation to preservation and we definately have some champion trees that deserve a mention (and a visit if you’re in the area).

Let’s us start with the Fortingall Yew.  Estimated to be between 2,000 and 5,000 years old, this conifer is thought to be the oldest known tree in Europe.  Standing in the churchyard of the village of Fortingall in Perthshire, the tree has stood longer than the church itself.  It stood before the introduction of Christianity to Scotland and it was likely to have been regarded as a sacred place since the Iron Age.

The tree is now surrounded by a wall built in order to protect it from souvenir hunters who, over the last few hundred years, have visited it and taken parts away with them.  However, the wall has come to serve two purposes, not only protecting the ancient Yew but also supporting many of its ageing branches.

Local legend says that Pontius Pilate, the judge at Jesus Christ’s trial, was born in the base of the tree and played in its shade as a child; allegedly, he was the illegitimate son of a Roman legionary stationed in the area and a local girl!  In times past Yew trees were referred to as “trees of eternity” – in the case of the Fortingall Yew it would seem to be true!

Not only is Scotland home to the oldest tree in Britain (and probably Europe), but it is also home to the tallest tree in the UK.  Although the overall winner in the category of tallest tree has been a matter for debate (due to technicalities in their measurement) both of the finalists are Fir trees and stand at over 200 feet tall.    In 2009, as part of the “Tall Trees Project” a tree known as the Stronardron Douglas Fir in the grounds of Dunans Castle, Argyll was crowned the champion, with Diana’s Grove Grand Fir at Blair Castle, Fife coming in a close second.

Then there is the Capon tree in the Scottish Borders that is also worth a mention; it is the last remain tree of the once very extensive Jed Forest and is estimated to be 500 years old.  This old Oak’s trunk is now split in half and many of its branches are propped up with wooden supports, yet each year it still has a central role in the local summer festival when the principals of the celebrations make their way to the tree and a sprig from its branches is pinned to the lead-man’s lapel.

These are just a few individual trees in Scotland which we think are worth a little praise but if you would like more information about areas in Scotland where ancient woodland can still be found then the Woodland Trust website gives details of woodlands throughout Scotland as well as useful information to help you plan your visit.

Conservation, Wildlife

Safeguarding the Sparling!

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It is easy to write about the cute, cuddly, cretins and beautiful, bodacious, birds that make up Scotland’s abundant wildlife.  However this week I feel I should give mention to a rather unusual fish that has been in the news this week.  The Sparling, a fish indigenous to Scotland, was once very common in Scottish rivers but now its numbers have seriously declined and it has to be said not many people even know about its existence, let alone the challanges it faces.

If you put the word ‘Sparling’ in Google, you will find that the top listings have absolutely nothing to do with this small silver fish – but perhaps that is because they are better known as European Smelt (Sparling being the Scottish name for this uncommon aquatic vertebrate).  They spend their most of their lives in the coastal waters around Western Europe, but in March (infact right about now) they take advantage of the high spring tides and these courageous little fish make their way upstream to spawn.

The River Cree

Despite their ability to withstand the changes from salt water to fresh water, Sparling are actually pretty poor swimmers (not something I ever thought I’d find myself saying about a type of fish) and this has played a part in its elusiveness in British rivers.  As the water quality in our inland waters has decreased, so the number of rivers in which Sparling can be found has reduced vastly, and now they are only found in three rivers in Scotland – the Forth, the Tay and the Cree.

Newton Stewart

It was the fight to save the future of these fish in the river Cree that caught my attention this week as volunteers braved the river during the night to carry out important conservation work – I have to say, rather them than me!  The river Cree, in the west of the country, flows from Loch Moan in the heights of the Glentrool Forest to exit into the North Channel not far from the bustling market town of Newton Stewart.  It is the only river on the West Coast that still attracts Sparling to its waters, although the conservation work that is being undertaken includes an attempt to establish the nearby river Fleet as another place that they will spawn.  This is great news, as Sparling were, for so long, an important part of the eco-system for many Scottish rivers and their visits support the survival of many other animals such as seals, goosanders and otters in the waters that they manage to continue to journey through.

It seems odd, even to me, that the plight of this wee fish has caught my imagination, especially as I was not aware of it until this week – but I will definitely hold out hope for the survival of Sparling in the Cree and the success of its re-introduction to other rivers in Scotland!