I have always wanted to visit Scotland but living on the south coast of England we couldn’t be much further away if we tried, but this half term we decided to make the nine-hour drive to see how much of the beautiful country we could see.
Our base for the week was a beautiful holiday cottage in Angus which is set on a working farm – Newton of Fothringham. We are big fans of farm holidays in winter, having previously stayed with Coombe Mill in Cornwall and Eco Gites of Lenault in Normandy. There is something wonderful about coming home and warming up in front of a roaring fire and Newton Farm more than lived up to expectations.
The 3 bedroom cottage sleeps 6 and is nestled between two hills to the North and South and surrounded by luscious greenery and farmland, but is just two miles from the A90 so the perfect base for exploring.
We arrived in the snow, much to the kids excitement, and were greeted by Louise who gave us a brief tour of the property before letting us settle after the long drive. Our welcome pack included milk, fresh eggs from the farm, cereal, bread, butter, homemade jam, shortbread, orange juice, tea and coffee so we could settle in without worrying about getting provisions.
The cottage has three bedrooms, laid out as a huge double, a smaller twin room and a large single, all with large built-in wardrobes which were perfect for playing hide and seek. It also had a large living room with plenty of seating, a log burner, a large widescreen TV and DVD player, a kitchen / diner and bathroom.
The cottage is a real home from home, beautifully decorated and packed full of all the equipment you need including toys and books for the children to play with, DVD’s to watch and a kitchen full of everything you could ever need to cook up a storm. The views are pretty amazing too and we were treated to the snow topped hills of Angus on clear days.
No visit to a farm would be without visiting the animals and Newton Farm also offer authentic farm tours with the family to guests as well as the public. Louise, Graeme and the twins, Scott and Iona showed us around the farm and gave us an insight into the daily life of our farm whilst introducing us to their animals which include goats, sheep, chickens, alpaca’s, pigs and cattle.
Isaac, Eliza and Sebby got to feed the animals, collect the eggs from the chickens, herd the goats into their shed in the evening, stroke Dodd the Bull and got to meet a very special new addition to the farm who arrived the day before we left.
They also got a very special tractor tour of the farm and Farmer Graeme even dropped them back to the cottage in it, as it was a very chilly day and had started snowing.
Angus is a stunning place to visit and we will certainly be back as we only scratched the surface of what it has to offer. The highlight of our stay was a private tour of Glamis Castle and we fell in love with Dunnottar Castle too, which was used as the inspiration for Merida’s DunBroch family Castle, much to Eliza’s delight.
Self catering in the cottage costs from £360, with short break rates available and they also have a large family Bed & Breakfast room in the farm which has recently awarded “Most Hospitable B&B in the Region” by Visit Scotland. I can certainly see why as nothing is too much trouble and they pull out all the stops to make sure your stay is everything you hoped. We even got tips on where to visit, what routes to take, food to try and a detailed weather forecast to help us plan our stay.
Keep an eye on the blog for more about what we got up to during our visit to Scotland.
Wow that looks like a stunning part of the country and definitely on my list. The cottage looks so homely I dont think I’d ever want to come home! Looks like so much fun for the kids too, real hands on good stuff! xx
We didn’t want to come home – will be back for sure
Thanks for your great comments Laura, I do try to make our guests stay a comfortable family friendly home from home. Check out our special offer https://www.facebook.com/VisitAngus/posts/1795197620729405:0
Looks wonderful. I am but a stones throw from Scotland, but it is still my first choice of holiday destinations if I were to actually get a holiday. The cottage looks ideal for a family holiday. I like that it is so homely and comfortable.
Hi Jen hope you get a chance for a holiday sometime, check us out at http://www.newtonfarmholidays.co.uk
This looks lovely. We went to the Applecross Peninsula a couple of years and although it was beautiful it was very remote. It sounds like you weren’t far from a main road so I think we’d take that into consideration next time we go to Scotland.
Great read! Sounds like you had a fantastic time on the Holiday!
Ah beautiful! We are yet to visit Scotland as a family but Angus looks beautiful and this looks like just the sort of holiday we would love!
Looks lovely….and that wallpaper!!
I know, the wallpaper was stunning
I would love to go to Scotland, I would love to see all the castles and visit Angus. Plus farms are fun too x
Last time we were in Scotland we stayed in Fort Augustus. We love the highlands, need to go back again soon.
Angus looks like an amazing place to visit. The rooms look great.
Looks like such a cosy holiday cottage – you’d really feel at home there. And I love that it’s on a working farm too. The kids would love the animals
We love Scotland, luckily it is not far from us. I have never been to Angus before though but it looks wonderful. The cottage you stayed in looks so cosy and perfect for a family get away, my little ones would love being on a farm as they are animal and tractor crazy xx
Oh that cottage looked lovely and homely, glad you had a great time!
Feeding animals and visiting a castle is such one for the books. What a wonderful experience you and your family had!
Looks like a great place to have a short stay while exploring the countryside!
That looks so cosy – the perfect place to stay with a family by the looks of it x
This would be perfect for us at the moment, my little guy came back from a school farm day trip and loved it! He would go wild for one of these holidays
Looks like a great place to visit. The cottage looks lovely and cosy x
So jealous you went up to Scotland! We’d love to visit Angus and the holiday home looks lovely x
Just so you know we have a special offer on just now in our cottage https://www.facebook.com/VisitAngus/posts/1795197620729405:0
You have taken some beautiful photos and what a darling place you stayed at
Heavier weight textures in soft materials are a great addition to making a space feel cozy. Woven baskets, wood accents, and even chunky cable knit pillows help to add fall texture and create a sense of coziness.