fairnielees
Sleeps 6 | Bedrooms 3 | Pet Friendly
overview
If you’re looking for a cottage in a secluded location with its own valley then Fairnielees is a wonderful escape for you. It’s a 3-bedroom property, with an enclosed garden, surrounded by fields, trees, little streams and the sky! It’s family-friendly, dog-friendly and even horse-friendly. Walks from the door.
Fairnielees is an excellent base for exploring the Scottish Borders, Northumberland, the Lothians and, of course, Edinburgh (only 30-40 minutes drive).
Please note that the cottage is accessed via a farm track. Spring to autumn stays are possible with any vehicle. In the winter, 4×4 vehicles are highly recommended (if not essential) so please get in touch to book dates from December to February.
availability
facilities
WIFI
FREE PARKING
GARDEN
WASHING MACHINE
HAIR DRYER
TELEVISION
the details
the space
Fairnielees is a generously proportioned, detached cottage, about 3/4 of a mile away from the main farm location. It was renovated in 2023 and you’ll find beautiful interiors and furniture throughout. The cottage is extremely peaceful and has excellent broadband and WiFi (100-150 mbps).
kitchen & dining
The main door is at the rear of the property, entering via a porch and boot room to the large kitchen-dining room. The well-equipped kitchen has an oven, hob, microwave, dishwasher, fridge, freezer, kettle, toaster, and all of cookware, serveware and glassware you could need. There is also a laundry nook with a washing machine.
The kitchen also has a wooden dining table which comfortably seats 6 guests.
living room, sun room & office
Beyond the kitchen, you’ll find a large living room with two big, comfy sofas and a smart TV (freesat for live TV and excellent broadband for catch-up TV). The room is painted in a cocooning blue shade (Selvedge, Farrow & Ball).
Sliding glass doors reveal the south-facing sun room which is an incredibly calming space. This room is all about the surrounding views of the garden, the valley and hills beyond. There is a card and board games table with 6 chairs, or you may prefer the comfy sofa and armchairs for lazy afternoons.
Also off the living-room you’ll find a large office which is ideal for anyone having a working holiday. The office room is painted in a gorgeous green, with large desk and plenty of light from the landscape window and desk lighting. There is also a sofa bed in this room.
bedrooms & bathrooms
Upstairs you’ll find two airy bedrooms – one is a twin room, the other can be set up as a king or twin room. Both rooms have chests of drawers for clothes storage as well as shared hanging space on the landing. There is also a downstairs bedroom with a superking bed, a large wardrobe and tall chest of drawers.
The bathroom is downstairs, with a bath/shower, wc and basin.
Note that we can provide a travel cot and high chair if needed.
outside spaces
The holiday cottage has an enclosed garden for your use. You’ll also be able to play on our tennis court, and of course you have full access to outstanding walk and cycle routes on the farm.
holiday cottage gallery
If you don’t fancy cooking during your stay, there is a perfect option under two miles from Fairnielees (a lovely walk or cycle) at Carfraemill. We also provide guests with lots of recommendations for other places to eat in the local area.
Hillhouse Farm Escapes, and Fairnielees cottage in particular, is the perfect place to stay in a holiday cottage if you’re looking for an abundance of fresh air and landscapes. Right from the door, you can access excellent tracks and fields on Hillhouse, our upland hill farm, for walks, mountain biking and horse riding. Beyond that, you can head into the Lammermuir Hills. 3/4 of a mile away, at the main Hillhouse Farm location you’ll find our professional-grade tennis court, which has an incredible view! Guests in all of our cottages can make use of the tennis court throughout their stay.
If you are travelling with small children and babies, please let us know if there is anything we can do to help. For example, would you like a travel cot and high chair? We have children’s cutlery and crockery if needed too. Your little ones will love to explore the farm – there are safe walks to see our sheep. You will also find small streams for paddling in, skimming stones, playing pooh sticks and splashing!
At Fairnielees, we are very happy for guests to bring one, well-behaved dog. Please let us know if you plan to do this. We will also consider a second dog, though please note we charge a small fee for additional pets. We ask that you always clean muddy paws and coats before coming into the cottage, and that dogs are not allowed upstairs, into any of the bedrooms, or on any furniture. There are excellent walks, and we ask that you please keep your dog on its lead through our sheep fields. During lambing (April/May), we ask that you avoid the lambing fields where possible – there are lots of fields without livestock in them too!
For those who like to take their horse on holiday, Fairnielees is a great place to stay. We can provide a field for horses to stay and you’ll have direct access to our 1500-acre upland sheep farm for hacking. There are outstanding riding routes including farm tracks and open fields, with incredible views for miles around. Those looking for ride-outs beyond the farm can easily access the Lammermuir Hills with breathtaking landscapes across heather-covered moorland routes. It is essential that you discuss bringing horses and ponies with us at the time of booking. We charge a fee per horse/pony for stays.
prices & availability
We will release the full booking calendar with pricing for Fairnielees in Spring 2023. In the meantime, we are happy to take bookings if you get in touch directly. Fairnielees is open from late March until end October each year (and over the winter if you have a 4×4 vehicle!).
Please note, if you are booking alongside other cottages, that Fairnielees is approximately 1/2 mile from the other Hillhouse Farm Escapes cottages.