Dunkeld

37 miles from holiday cottage

Dunkeld

Stanley Hill

Ice house

Dysart

12 miles from holiday cottage and campsite

Dysart history

Harbour wall

harbour wall

carved out of coal

Bed and Breakfast Cottage

Latest trend - D.I.Y Bed and Breakfast or Room only


You can have D.I.Y bed and breakfast.
(when our self catering cottage is not booked.
This also means you have more than just a room.
You have a kitchen, so you don't have to eat out if you don't want.)
You can also bring in carry out meals like fish and chips from nearby award winning
Bay fish and chips at Dalgety Bay, 2 miles away.

I can put any one of several breakfast packs or your mix and match choice in your kitchen:-
1. Usual tea and coffee, cereals.
2. Bread and jam for toast plus  beans, free range eggs.
3. A continental pack:-ham, cheese, tomato, rolls, etc.
4. A pack to cook, choose bacon or sausage, etc.
5. The full works, everything mentioned plus grapefruit, yoghurt or whatever you choose.

Or maybe you just want room only at £25p.p.p.n.


Free WiFi.

Additionally - supper, packed lunch, can be ordered.

Phone 01383 417681
email chris.barley@virgin.net
website for holiday cottage http://www.woodlandcottages.co.uk/

Too small to take visa so best call by a cash line.

what-is-agritourism

Garden - Plants and herbs - Wild garlic. Tree Peony

 Herbs

Ransoms - wild garlic

Abundant in April.

Chop and use in omlettes, mashed potato, soups, casseroles ......

Also in the holidaycottage garden is mint, lovage, wild raspberries, plums, greengages, etc.

Tree peony article

These are my little black shiny pearls.
I harvest a few hundred a year,
They're extremely hard to germinate, involving storage in freezer
and exposure to heat at the right time.
Then only a few every few years germinate.
These are on offer at £4 for our holiday cottage guests and campers.
They can cost several times that from catalogues.
Apparently at one time, only the Emperor of China could grow them.


After 2 or 3 years of these perennial plants, dying back, (so put a marker in the soil)
they start to have a permanent woody stem, growing to about 4'.
Then each year the spectacular leaves bud and unfold.
Around May the single petal yellow leaves give a quick display.
The leaves linger, then die back to the woody stem.
It all happens again each year.
A 4/5 year old plant starts to produce those shiny black seeds
and they increase in number each year.

21.4.2013

Solomon's seal - like the shade.

Bo'ness steam train Railway

http://www.srps.org.uk/railtours/ 2013 schedule


http://www.lochalsh.com/steam_train_kyle/

http://www.srps.org.uk/railway/

10 miles from holiday cottage

Child & baby friendly facilities

Everybody loves a stick in the woodland

http://www.travelmamas.com/wordpress/child-friendly-activities-in-edinburgh-scotland/

http://www.nileguide.com/destination/edinburgh/trips/family-fun-in-edinburgh/7850054

10 reasons to choose our cottage to rent, self cater or B  and B:-
1. It's child, baby, toddler and family friendly.
2. The cottage has character.
3. It's got a lovely garden.
4. It backs on to 15 acres of woodland.
5. It's very well equipped.
6. It's 10 miles from Edinburgh, zoo and pandas.
7. In a day trip, you can see lochs and glens, beaches, fishing villages. etc.
8. Within 10 miles you can play golf, fish, horse riding, falconry, boat trips.
9. Great local facilities for children, Deep Sea world, swimming baths, crazy golf, 10 screen cinema
10. Many local restaurants, 8 alone 3 miles away at Fife Leisure park.

 Woodland - Parents should accompany children beyond the garden. 
Kids love it here, there is so much space. Badger hide.

Garden at the back of the cottage has outdoor games.

Cottage has games and DVD's suitable for all ages.

Nearby  - Lochore Adventure Park, 10 screen cinema, 2 miles at Duloch Leisure Park, along with eateries.

Indoors - Deep Sea World a couple of miles away, swimming baths with flumes, etc. 10 screen cinema.

Babies andToddlers - Lots of equipment free, request at time of booking i.e. microwave sterilizer, bouncy cradle, baby bath, mat, cots, high chairs.

Holiday cottage near Edinburgh Scotland Lounge and dining room.. View of Forth rail bridge. No. 1 Dales farm cottage

visitscotland
View of historic Forth Rail bridge.

http://www.forthbridges.org.uk/railbridgemain.htm


Comfortable dining and seating for up to 6 in  18 foot long  lounge
Rug was a gift from our kind friends at cottage-fife ( oak mantelpiece supplied by Chris)

3 kinds of heating - 5 storage heaters, log burning stove and 7 radiators,
 electric heaters, lounge and bathroom.

Lots of good books, family d.v.d's,  c.d's, etc. Games, toys.
WiFi and  Broadbnd connection.

Original floorboards, stripped doors, sash windows, slate tiles, mullions.

Antique bookshelf from Glasgow University

Shopping Scotland. Antiques. Jenners. Valvona and Crolla

Valvona and Crolla on line

Jenners Edinburgh

Shop St. Andrews (Twices)

 Souvenir shopping

Antiques centre Perth
http://www.nileguide.com/destination/blog/edinburgh/2010/10/20/shopping-spree-in-edinburgh/
Brilliant listing of Edinburgh shopping

http://arbroath-cottage.blogspot.com/2010/10/bill-spink-fish-smoker-arbroath.html
Arbroath smokies World famous and recommended by us also.

http://www.goldenspurtle.com/
porridge making championship 10.10.10. Tweeted by VisitScotland.

Tesco have half price offers each week at the butchery counter.
Chickens one week, pork joints another. Sirloin joints become affordable at half price and so do racks of lamb.
See also our other Food blogs



House of Bruar - Quality Scottish Country Clothing & Produce

Shopping:-

• House of Bruar Scottish gifts Falls of Bruar 40 miles north
• Nature reserve bird related gifts Loch Leven, 10 miles north
• Gallery Gift shop 2 miles south, Sth Queensferry Pier 07761 577 366
• Shopping mall All Perth 30 miles north
• Outlet shopping centre Loch Lomond 40 miles west
• Baxters gifts Scottish produce 5 miles north on motorway near Kelty. 
• Sainsbury food anddrink Kirkcaldy
• The Greengrocers Delicatessen Stirling

Royal mile Golf, whisky and tartan gifts
Jenners Food, gift and clothes
Marks and Spencer All Dunfermline/ Ed, Gyle mall
Victoria Street All plus Ian Mellis cheese shop
Valvona andCrolla Italian food imports Leith Walk Edinburgh
(world famous. Sophie Grigson does cooking demonstrations at the festival)
http://www.valvonacrolla-online.co.uk/cgi-bin/valvonacrolla.storefront/EN/Catalog/1586


Local food:-

• Tesco 24 hour food and home Duloch 2 miles north, (plus 6 more restaurants )1 mile further:- or arrange for a delivery when you know you will be in your holiday cottage.

         Ask for butcher's half price specials each week.

Puddledub pork
• Frankie and Benny’s, Mexican, Pizza, Brewers chain, Eastern buffet, Kentucky chicken, Nandos portugese).
• Hawes Inn pub/restaurant 2 miles south, Sth Queensferry
• Bay Inn (Beeches) pub grub Dalgety Bay
• Tom Courts butcher, 3 Raith Centre Cowdenbeath
• Bay fish and chips Dalgety Bay (Their battered haggis is good).
• Baked potato, soup and salads, etc. 
•  Farmer's market:- Dunfermline, Kirkcaldy, Edinburgh.

 If you get a chance in a restaurant, try some Scottish national dishes like Cullen Skink, Stovies, Ball Haggis (A vegetarian version is also available ) and neeps, Arbroath smokies, Cranachan, etc.


Food Edinburgh:-

• Four Mary’s pub grub Linlithgow
  
• Jimmy Chung’s Chinese buffet
• Jasmine restaurant
• Canny Man’s pub smorgasboard Morningside
• Gurka Nepalese “ “
• Mya Indo/Thai opp. Scottish office
• Valvona and Crolla Italian bistro Elm row
• Jenners top floor Jenners Edinburgh

Forth estuary traffic Dalgety Bay

15.5.2013 Liner ...Princess back again (Last in July and August 2012.)

6.4.13 - Dingies launching from Dalgety Bay sailing club

7.11.10 - M111 minesweeper heading into Rosyth Dockyard.




W.c 20.9.10- Frigate 231 out of Rosyth,
Destroyer in, Promitheus oil tanker. Yachtsmen.
These are the last months of the Ferry to Zeebrugge,
W.c 13.9.10-Hamilton Spirit oil tanker at terminal,
a barge/floating platform, Yachtsmen,
Forth Tours and maid of the Forth tours.
Dredger in, Frigate F231 in and out all week doing sea trials.
Mare Oreaus oil tanker, Helga Spirit and Hildgaarde.
Oil tankers British Eagle (flying red ensign), Chincha and Eagle Torrance.
24.6.2010 - Oil tankers Searanger and Helgar spirit left port today.
20.6.2010 - The 3 tugs are having spray practice today for oil tankers.
2.6.2010 - Oil tanker Bunga Kasturi Empat moored.
1.6.2010 - Minesweeper leaving Rosyth
27.5.2010 - Oil tanker Livia in. New to this area.
26.5.2010 The Vista of the seas in. Tanker "Carolos" arrived. Eider ducks.



Terminal information:-
  http://www.forthports.co.uk/ports/ports/scotland/marine/
Country ship codes:- http://www.worldatlas.com/aatlas/ctycodes.htm
For bird activity, see blogpost "Birds" at Dalgety Bay.
22.5.2010 Green coloured tanker BW Lake in yesterday again & left today.
British Cygnet moored. Blue canoe launched off the Moorings.

17.5.2010 Oil tanker Mare Salernum .
"Blue Bay" scrap metal ship into Inverkeithing.

15.5.2010 Liberian registered Oil tanker "Ligovsky Prospect" in today.
14.5.2010 - Delta sailor half full of oil this morning.
The regular "Sarpen" built 2002:-
http://www.marinetraffic.com/ais/showallphotos.aspx?mmsi=311261000
13.5.2010 - Delta sailor oil tanker.
12.5.2010. Danish cruise ship in at 8.30a.m. White.
Much smaller, only 2 decks. "Vision of the seas".
Maid of the Forth arrived to transport passengers. Back out at 7p.m.
11.5.2010 German cruise liner Mein Schiff. Grey and white.
 Unusual amount of writing on the side, including http://www.cruises.com/
and Meeresrayschen. Ruhe Delphine.




There are approximately 200 oil tankers a year
 mooring at the jetty at Hound's point, to take in oil .
Mostly different names and countries.
Some regular like Hildegard and Thornbury.
Also many ships all named after birds, Falcon, Eagle, Robin, etc.

9.5.2010 - 1. First passenger liner of the season M.S.C Orchestra, 5 passenger decks.
Several boats lowered into water to take people to Queensferry.
A tug is keeping it level so it doesn't swing into the shipping channel.

2. Maid of the Forth helping to unload about 2000 passengers.

8.5.2010 -1. BW Lake left with 2 tugs, one of which returned quickly.

2. Ferry tfrom Zeebrugge in at 12 noon and out at 6p.m.

3. SS Harmony, a large container ship left Rosyth.

7.5.2010 - Oil tanker BW Lake in. New to this area.

Light green - not usual colour for a ship.

Falkirk wheel. Stirling. St. Andrews

http://www.thefalkirkwheel.co.uk/

An interesting ride for £7.95. 08700 500 208

Links the Union canal and Edinburgh to Glasgow canal.

Excellent help from staff, especially grateful as we had disabled people in our group.

the-greengrocer Stirling 81 Port St, Stirling.

Criffle cheese, Strathdon blue, vegetarian Isle of Mull cows, veg. Inverlochy goats,

fresh figs,Vinci olives crackers for pungent cheese,

http://twitpic.com/377ht0

Dunmore pineapple

http://www.nts.org.uk/Property/The-Pineapple/

30 miles to St. Andrew's.
http://concierge.fairmont.com/location.process/OID_8C536BEE/OLID_18785/MID_881/
St. Andrew's guide.
http://blog.standrews.co.uk/2011/01/5-must-see-spots-in-st-andrews/

http://www.lightstalking.com/scotland
24 images of Scotland

Museums:-

http://www.nileguide.com/destination/blog/edinburgh/2010/11/10/the-best-museums-in-edinburgh/

http://www.snapscotland.com/photo/albums/scottish-photos?id=6270794%3AAlbum%3A10&xg_pw=&commentPage=&page=2
Stunning Scottish photos

Falkirk wheel
http://www.ukseries.com/blog/2010/07/the-unique-falkirk-wheel/


Day trips to Stirling, Trossachs, Dunfermline.
Lochs, Glens, beaches, East coast fishing villages, etc.
Linlithgow A few miles south of the historic Forth Rail Bridge.
Great Castle, lake and 4 Mary's pub.
(See "Bagging Scotland" on Twitter and "scottishroutes").
Glendeavon (Old Tormaukin Inn).
Castle Campbell near Stirling (see Tour Scotland website with great photos.)
Hopetoun house..Antiques road show televised 21.3.2010

Edinburgh guide. Places to visit and eat.
http://www.2edinburgh.co.uk/edinburgh/edinburgh-guide.htm

Holiday cottage near Edinburgh. Kitchen facilities.

Professional oven cleaning from Dalgety Bay 25.3.2013

 01383 824707

£42 single oven. £50 double oven

• American style ice making fridge.
• Washer/drier
• Dishwasher
• Microwave
• 4 ring hob on:- 
• double oven, includes grill
• Wi Fi access from kitchen
• Slow cooker http://ht.ly/2WdYt
• Dualit toaster
• Fish brick
• hand electric blender
• electric juicer
• electric food processor
• spice rack
• Several sets of glasses
• 2 sets of crockery
• Lots of stainless steel pans
• Double stainless steel roasting pans
• All the usual oven trays, baking dishes, childrens' pastry cutters
• Cafetiere, T. pot, etc.
• Recipe books

Type of kitchen back up

Bo'ness steam railway

Just 12 miles from your holiday cottage.
Run by volunteers. £9 p.p.. £7 concessions.
Tea room, shop, disabled facilities.
A one hour exciting burl along the Forth estuary and back.
Also if fit, you can alight at the fire-clay mine for a visit underground.
Also railway exhibition museum.

http://www.srps.org.uk/
01506 822298

Food. Restaurants Fife

The Hawes Inn South Queensferry

Wednesday is Pie day - 6 to choose from.

http://www.vintageinn.co.uk/thehawesinnsouthqueensferry/

Woodside hotel Aberdour

Stained glass ceiling from Orient Line Vessel 'Orontes

5 miles from this holiday cottage

Where Lunch is served

Small but good fish on 2 course lunch special.

Good value for money.Hawes Inn S. Queensferry

Woodland. Wild flowers. Meadow. Bluebell wood

Snowdrops in holiday cottage woodland lane 2.2.2013

still there 19.3.2013

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01ng5lr Wild wood

Guardian 12.5.12 " whatever our age. Socio-biologists have revealed that there are powerful psychological benefits to spending time in natural environments and that the people in their tests underestimated just how invigorated, peaceful and good they would feel after something as simple as a walk in a woodland…"

Sarah Raven BBC2 8.2.2012 "Bees, butterflies and blooms":-

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b013pw23

Red Cross First Aid
Don't be tempted to eat plants and mushrooms you don't know.

Two of our bluebell areas

Nature's calendar:-
http://www.naturescalendar.org.uk/wildlife/factfiles/flowers/bluebell.htm

Some of our meadow flowers:-

• yellow vetch
• self heal
• 3 types orchid
• orange hawkbit
• clover
• scarlet pimpernell

Some of ourWoodland plants:-

• lesser celandine
• bluebell
• snowdrop
• ferns
• dog's mercury
• lesser stitchwort
• meadowsweet

Mushrooms:- Puffball, shaggy ink cap, dryad's saddle
mushroom identification

Dandelions

Many grasses, rushes.
Wild Fruits:-
raspberries,  strawberries, brambles, elderberries, gooseberries, white currant.
Wild rose, honeysuckle.
.
These rocks at the base of the silver birch trees were from

the old Donibristle aerodrome runway near Hillend, Fife.
The moss and trees have grown over them in the last few decades
and they form the link from the back Orchid meadow to the upper campers' meadow pitches.

The deer regularly use this route.