Life on the farm has never looked as good as this
Heading past rolling fields, with spring poking its head above the parapet and only the occasional russet of a Highland cow catching the eye, it feels as if there is nobody else here. Then, rounding a bend, my friend Anna and I happen upon Banchory Farm. Here, dotted around a warm pink farmhouse where owners Jane and Jonathan Manifold live with their two children, six farmhands' cottages have been converted into luxury rental cottages.
Our home for the weekend is The Grieves, a two-bedroom cottage named after the farm manager, or 'grieve', who once lived here. A beautiful vase of hyacinths and tulips, as well as a basket groaning with seasonal produce, welcome us in an impeccably appointed, brass-knobbed deVOL kitchen. Cottagecore floral wallpaper, marble bathroom tiles — you'd never guess that The Grieves, now impeccably restored, had rising damp and no central heating a few years ago. Jane explains how they've also installed air source heat pumps, planted 4,500 trees and rewilded field edges around the cottages.
We make porcini mushroom pasta from our welcome basket ingredients, run luxurious baths in the master bedroom then slip into linen bedding in our high-ceilinged but cosy double rooms to sleep the sort of sleep you get only after swapping city for deep, dark countryside.
The next morning, after a hearty breakfast (again courtesy of the cornucopian gift basket), we follow the Manifolds' helpfully detailed guidebook to Falkland, former seat of Stuart kings and perhaps the most handsome of Scotland's royal burghs. The village, about 30 miles away at the foot of the Lomond Hills in the lovely Howe of Fife, has been frequently used as a filming location for Outlander. Fans of the show will know it as a stand-in for the Highlands where Frank Randall and Claire Beauchamp go on their honeymoon.
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After peeking up charming cobbled streets and briefly exploring Falkland Palace, the royal hunting lodge favoured by Mary, Queen of Scots, we tackle East Lomond, site of a prehistoric hillfort that the Picts chose as their lofty seat of power. The final 150 metres have us wedging toes into footholds but the sweeping summit views down over forest, field and the Firth of Forth mean we quickly forget the strain.
Back at Banchory, Jane has arranged for Lesley Brown, a touring masseuse, to work out the kinks from our walk. The rest of the day drifts by in a haze of indulgence — a wander around Loch Leven, where we pause to spy on birds from a hide and browse the farm shop on its banks, a dinner of scallops and halibut at the family-run Wee Restaurant in North Queensferry, then Bananagrams in The Grieves' snug sitting room.
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On our final night, which comes far too fast, Anna and I find ourselves in the garden in front of a crackling fire pit. The books, which we really did intend to read, are cast aside in favour of simply sitting in the cool, relaxing air. We are backlit by the warm light from the kitchen of our home-from-home, snug under the blue tartan rugs left thoughtfully in the boot room.
We sit there as night falls, looking out beyond the wall at the foot of 'our' garden, laughing and swapping stories until the fire dies to embers and we retreat indoors. It's the kind of night that stays with you. As we pack up the next morning, we lament how quickly the trip has gone. Some places just make you want to linger, gathering moss like those old stone walls above Kirkcaldy.
Lottie Hayton was a guest of Banchory Farm (banchoryfarm.co.uk), which has one night self-catering for two from £120
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