Just 40 minutes from St Andrews, Thistle House is a beautiful 17th century stone built cottage situated right at the heart of Falkland, one of Scotland's most beautiful ancient villages. You would have the whole house to yourself as the American/Scottish owners use this as a second home.
The house has been completely repainted during the last year, and is very cozy and well equipped with thick stone walls and contains everything you would need for a wonderful stay.
Eignin
The house is very cozy and well equipped with thick stone walls and a lovely warm stove.
The American/Scottish owners are very keen for all guests to feel at home in their beloved second home, and the cottage has a real family feel to it. The kitchen contains everything you would need including a toaster, microwave, coffee maker, kettle and lots of cooking spices, and a really cosy dining area with table and chairs. The lovely sitting room next door has a log fire, and both rooms are simply and comfortably decorated. The house has been completely repainted during the last year.
Upstairs there are two bedrooms plus a family bathroom. The lovely master bedroom is very peaceful and relaxing with wardrobes and plenty of storage. The second bedroom contains a double bunkbed (double on the bottom, single above), perfect for children, or as a double bedroom. There is a further sitting room/bedroom 3 at the back of the house with a small double futon sofa bed with an en-suite and access to the private back garden terrace.
The back garden is a peaceful south-facing terrace with a seating area and a barbecue. It is totally enclosed, and the perfect spot for a glass of wine in the evenings.
The cottage is well equipped for children with a cot, highchair and toys, plus Wii and DVD player all available. There are lots of family board games, movies and children's books.
Guests can enjoy unlimited Wifi, phone and FreeSat TV, and laundry machines.
Falkland itself is a friendly little community and has many boutique shops, pubs, and cafes right on your doorstep, as well as a corner shop, art gallery, hairdressers, post office, chemist and bakers and of course the stunning Falkland Palace right across from the house. There are lots of peaceful walks through the Falkland Estate woods, a tennis club and golf course.
In 2013 Falkland was used for filming the huge US STARZ TV hit "Outlander". The TV series which is based on the series of books by Diana Gabaldon tells the story of Claire Beauchamp who visits Inverness and mysteriously falls back through time to the Jacobite rising, where she meets the young outlaw Jamie Fraser. Falkland was used to re create Inverness itself in the 1940's and many of the houses and shops were re painted and turned into 1940's shops and houses. Our cottage overlooks the monument in the village which featured heavily in the first episode and is just a couple of doors down from "Farrells" where Claire looked at the blue vase (now the lovely Fayre Earth Gift Shop) and Mrs Baird's B&B (the Covenanter Hotel). During the filming in 2016 the crew built a lean to building against our cottage which was used as part of a scene. Unfortunately it was made from polystyrene so is no longer there! We have welcomed many Outlander fans who have used Thistle House as a base for their Outlander adventures!
In the evenings Falkland has plenty to offer with the Stag Inn just across the road and often has live music, as well as the Covenanter Hotel, both of which are 2 minutes walk away and serve excellent food.
Just across from the cottage, the Campbell's bistro offers excellent coffee, lovely food and baking and you can even take your own wine in the evenings.
During the day Falkland has plenty to occupy you - you can walk through the woodland paths of the Falkland Estate to a lovely organic farm shop and café, called the Pillars of Hercules, where you can stock up on organically grown fruit and vegetables and sample delicious homemade cakes and soups. The Estate has many lovely walks through the woodlands that used to be the private hunting ground of Scotland royalty, up through the Mapsie Den to the beautiful waterfall or even up to the Lomond Hills.
Falkland is also a perfect base for many lovely day trips. It takes just half an hour to get to the world famous St Andrews, home of golf and full of historic sites, shops and restaurants, or you could follow the Fife Coastal Path and take in the lovely fishing villages of the East Neuk, such as Crail, Elie, Ansthruther and Pittenweem. Scotlands major cities, Edinburgh, Perth, Glasgow and Stirling are all approximate a one-hour drive away.
Superb water sports, fishing, skiing/snowboarding, scenic coastal walking, cycling, and horse-riding are a few of the outdoor activities available and enjoyed by locals and visitors alike.
