Live Like a Laird at Straloch Highland Retreats

Escaping to the wild and wildly beautiful countryside of Highland Perthshire is always a joy – even more so when you have the run of your very own private estate. Straloch Estate spreads its bucolic tentacles across 3,000 acres on the fringes of the Cairngorms National Park. The brace of plush award-winning self-catering holiday cottages offer a real sanctuary away from the modern world, but your stay here is full of creature comforts too.

Why Stay? 

You really do have the run of the whole estate. We stayed in Keeper’s Cottage and loved looking at the large Ordnance Survey imprint on the kitchen wall. It helped us plan our adventures and check out Highland Perthshire. From the lounge we gazed out over our own wee loch, which you can easily walk around in half an hour, with a wee detour on to the islet. In the warmer months you can use their canoes and rowing boat to channel that Swallows and Amazons vibe. The estate really feels like your private playground, a feeling heightened by your own games room. Here we played pool, darts and table tennis.

Wildlife sweeps all around at Straloch too. Our girls loved sitting peering at the red squirrels who came to use the feeder in our garden. Rambling around the estate you can look out for buzzards, eagles and red deer. We explored the rich flora of their fairytale Millennium Wood, the large Walled Garden and ventured further afield to take in a ridge with views and some prehistoric remnants. The girls’ imaginations were fired up by the Witch’s Stone, a hulking erratic boulder swimming in myths and legends.

What’s it Like? 

Our Keeper’s Cottage looked very much the traditional whitewashed estate cottage, but inside it was seriously cosy and had plenty of handy modern touches. The open plan downstairs boasted a lounge heated by a roaring log fire, with a large kitchen complete with an island. Neat touches included a breakfast bar, decent wifi and a wine fridge, plus a swathe of board games and leaflets on local attractions. It was the social hub of our time here and I really appreciated that even if we were all doing different things at one time we were all in the same open plan space. One practical feature that worked really well was the space for drying boots, handy after our walks and also after bashing around in the garden, which had a burn running through it, plus swings and a football goal.

Upstairs there were two well appointed bedrooms blessed with antique furniture, designer wallpaper and Hypnos beds. Both bedrooms had views out over the estate. A serious highlight for me was the old rolltop bath, which was 170-years-old. Reclining in here with a glass of the delicious Pinkster Gin – Will Holt one of the estate’s owners is a co-founder of the company – was a real joy as the stresses and strains of the world outside Straloch soon eased away.

The other half of the couple who own Straloch, Lucy Holt, summed up the retreat’s charms for us: “Our mission is to ensure that our guests have a truly wonderful holiday experience; from the little luxuries indoors to wildlife encounters and wonderful picnics in the heather.”

Top Tips 

We were lucky with the timing of our stay as Straloch were just introducing their mountain hut picnics. We’d already savoured housekeeper Penny’s superb homecooking in the cottage (the local venison stew, slow-cooked with walnuts, was divine), but this was an altogether different experience. We hiked up a rough mountain track deep in the while and for over an hour. Just when it seemed like the stalker’s hut I promised the girls would never appear there it was, our oasis in a deeply dramatic wildscape.

We were delighted to find a cosy, candlelit wooden table that had a gas heater too. The table was laid more with a banquet than a picnic! We feasted on Penny’s homemade Scotch Eggs, chunky pie, honey kissed sausages, scones and epic chocolate and orange brownies. Sitting cosy in here with a warming hot chocolate we peered out at the wind and rain appreciating shelter in a way you never do at home. We cheated a little on the way home as the lovely owners came to pick us up and run us down in their 4×4

Reasons to Book 

• Have the run of your own Highland Perthshire Estate.
• Luxurious cottage that boasts character in spades, plus all mod cons
• Lovely owners who are great with advice on local walks
• Penny’s homecooking! (Download the menu below.)

Straloch Highland Retreats, Straloch House, Enochdhu, Blairgowrie, Perthshire, PH10 7PH
Tel: +44 (0)1250 881267
lucy@straloch.com
www.straloch.com
Book Now

Further Information

Straloch Higland Retreats has two self-catering houses. Stalker’s Lodge and Keeper’s Cottage. Both have a 3-night minimum stay. Stalker’s from £697 for 3 nights, Keeper’s from £473.

Picnics in the lunch hut can be booked by both residents and non-residents. This costs £100 plus the cost of your picnic food (download the menu below).

Price includes transport to and from the hut if required. Maximum 12 people (in normal non-Covid times). To book email Straloch via the website. Minimum 48 hours notice required.

*This post comes in association with Straloch Highland Retreats, but the views are very much our own.