We recently enjoyed a weekend getaway at Charlottefield – a pet friendly holiday cottage in Perthshire. Charlottefield is one of twelve Highland lodges let by Atholl Estates. The hillside cottage had two bedrooms, a wood-fired hot tub and views to die for. It offered the ultimate ‘escape to the country’ experience, and being conveniently located just two minutes away from the A9 and a short distance from Pitlochry and Dunkeld, meant it made a great base for exploring the beauty of Perthshire and beyond.
Read on to find out more about our stay at this fantastic pet friendly holiday cottage in Pershire, and some of the things we did while we were there.
Day one – on and around Atholl Estates
Perthshire escapes are great – especially in the winter months, as it doesn’t take long to reach the region from Edinburgh. That means less time stuck in the car, and more time spent enjoying the great outdoors.
Picking up posh snacks at House of Bruar
House of Bruar is one of our favourite roadside stops in Perthshire. It usually takes us around 90 minutes to reach via car from Edinburgh. The shop epitomises Highland Perthshire – think tweed, cashmere and wellies. That’s not why we shop there though – we love their food court. It’s heaven for foodies and sells quality Scottish and UK produced goodies. If we’re ever self-catering in the vicinity (like we were on this occasion) we’ll usually pop in for some savoury bits and bobs like cheese, oatcakes, olives and some posh sweeties too.
Falls of Bruar
What’s great about the House of Bruar is, there’s a gorgeous walking trail right behind the shop. Shopping is a necessary evil for Mr G and I – we do it to eat. We prefer spending our time outdoors. At Bruar, we can dash round the food court, then head straight to the Falls of Bruar to recover from the trauma of shopping.
The falls can be reached, via a short, uphill walk through lovely pine woodland. If you’re lucky, you might spot a red squirrel, leaping through the treetops above you.
We have no other than Robert Burns to thank for the trees. After visiting the Falls of Bruar in 1787, he wrote to the Duke of Atholl and suggested the beauty spot would be further enhanced by trees. The duke obliged – but not till 1796.
When you reach the falls, you can cross a bridge over them, continue uphill, then cross a second bridge and head back downhill. All in, the walk takes up to 90 minutes (or 30-40 minutes if you’re only visiting the falls).
Blair Atholl, Perthshire Lunch
During the summer months, if we find ourselves in the vicinity of Blair Atholl at lunchtime, we’ll pop into Blair Atholl Watermill for lunch. The flour mill dates to the 1950s and is still operational today. From April to October, it’s open to the public and you can enjoy a tasty lunch in their sheltered garden, or indoors if you prefer. Their filled rolls and soup are delicious, and you’re always guaranteed a good cup of coffee there too.
In the winter months, the dog friendly bar at the Atholl Arms Hotel is our go to for lunch. The fire’s always lit, the welcome is warm and the food’s good.
That’s where we headed during this February visit.
My perfect lunch combo would be tattie and leek soup and a Cajun chicken sandwich of some description, so I was delighted to find both on the menu.
My soup and cajun chicken flatbread were both awesome.
Mr G doesn’t share my passion for tattie and leek soup or spicy sandwiches. As luck would have it, they had one of his favourite soups on the menu too – tomato. He had it with a tuna sandwich and chips, so lunch was a hit for us both.
The waiting staff gave the boy water and gravy bones, so all three of us enjoyed our lunchtime visit to the Atholl Arms Hotel.
Blair Castle & Atholl Estates – miles of trails to explore
After lunch we headed to Bridge of Tilt in the heart of the Atholl Estates for an afternoon walk. Atholl estates span 145,000 acres of Highland Perthshire, so there are no shortage of places to walk on the estate.
Arriving at the Old Bridge of Tilt car park, we checked the information board there for inspiration, and decided to walk a section of the Glen Tilt Trail.
We set off through woodland, crossed the Old Bridge of Tilt, then followed the course of the River Tilt through a wooded gorge. We passed crystal clear pools, tumbling waterfalls and dizzying drops into the bottom of the gorge below. It was ruggedly beautiful. There was no one else around either, which was an added bonus.
After a while, we took a detour off the trail to visit The Balvenie Pillar. The tall stone pillar is located on a wooded hill called Tom Na Croiche (gallows hill). It was erected in 1755 and marks the site of the last public hanging in the area.
Crime doesn’t pay
A local man, John Stewart had served a prison sentence for murder. He discovered that another local by the name of Macintosh, had been publicly gloating about his imprisonment. Stewart decided to seek revenge. He invited Macintosh and one of his servants to go hunting on a nearby mountain. The hunting party were sheltering in a bothy when Stewart murdered McIntosh and encouraged his own servant to murder Macintosh’s. McIntosh’s servant pretended to be dead, then once the coast was clear, raised the alarm. Stewart fled to the far north of Scotland, but was caught, returned to Perthshire and hung for his crime.
After visiting the macabre historic site, we rejoined the Glen Tilt trail and walked for another thirty minutes or so, before turning and heading back to the car park.
It was time for us to check into our pet friendly holiday cottage in Perthshire.
Charlottefield (Tullimet Estate): a pet freindly holiday cottage in Perthshire
The holiday cottage was located on the Tullimet Estate, a two minute drive from Ballinluig village. The Tullimet Estate has been part of Atholl Estates since the 16th century. Beatrix Potter holidayed there as a teenager, and it’s where she first drew the character Peter Rabbit.
Charlottefield was the perfect holiday cottage. From its secluded hillside location, to the beautiful vista it overlooked, its wood-fired hot tub – and the fact the only neighbours were Atholl Estates black faced sheep.
I love Atholl Estates’ approach to farming. They farm regeneratively, in a way that mirrors nature. There’s no use of pesticides, vaccines or antibiotics, and their cattle aren’t locked up in barns. Grass verges in fields are left to grow wild to encourage biodiversity. You won’t see hay bales wrapped in plastic, and reliance on heavy farm machinery is kept to a minimum. Large estates are often criticised for their land management techniques, so it’s great to see one going back to basics and putting animal welfare and the environment before profit.
Charlottefield – the interior of out pet friendly holiday cottage in Perthshire
Inside, Charlottefield was surprisingly spacious with 2 1/2 floors. The ground floor consisted of a large lounge, kitchen and dining space.
On the half floor there was a utility room and WC, and on the first floor two bedrooms (one double, one twin) and a bathroom with a bath and separate shower.
The interior style was country cottage, with a hip vintage twist. A calming green colour pallette had been used on the stairs, bedrooms and bathroom. Warmer tones had been introduced in the lounge area, which just invited you to sit by the fire and relax.
And that’s exactly what we did, once we’d unpacked.
We sat by the fire for a couple of hours, doing absolutely nothing.
Later that evening, Mr G and I left the boy snoozing by the fire and headed outside to use the wood-fired hot tub. As luck would have it, I’d heated it to perfection. I was well pleased with myself. We sat in the hot tub for a couple of hours, chatting and listening to the hoot of a nearby owl. It was blissful.
Back indoors, we toddled upstairs to bed with coffee and some Atholl Estates shortbread. The bed was super comfy. That, combined with enjoying plenty of fresh air earlier, meant we quickly fell asleep.
Day two – Exploring beyond Atholl Estates
We woke the next morning to clear skies and dramatic low-lying clouds, clinging to the landscape below us. It was as pretty as a picture.
Having spent the previous day exploring on our doorstep, we decided to spend this day exploring slightly further afield.
Charlottefield’s excellent location meant we could set off along Scotland’s famous Snow Roads after breakfast, spend the day in Braemar in the heart of Royal Deeside, and still get back to our fab pet friendly holiday cottage in Perthshire in plenty of time to heat the wood-fired hot tub for another evening dip.
Taking the Snow Roads to Braemar
The Snow Roads of Perthshire, Aberdeenshire and Moray are amongst our favourite roads to drive in Scotland. They’re scenic and peppered with castles, pretty villages, hiking trails and wildlife. As the name suggests, they’re often snowy, and for that reason they’re home to two of Scotland’s five ski resorts.
We haven’t had much snow this winter, so the roads only had a moderate dusting. They’re liable to close at the drop of a hat though, when it does snow, so the lack of snow was probably a good thing.
There may have been an absence of snow, but wildlife was in abundance during our drive north. We spotted a red squirrel, red deer, buzzards and a falcon en route to Braemar.
Braemar, Aberdeenshire
We arrived in Braemar to discover a mobile dog store in the village car park. It was only fair we let the boy have a browse. Inside, it was full of toys, treats and pretty much everything a dog could ever want or need.
The boy got a new toy, some treats and a smart winter jacket for hiking. Despite the Snow Roads being a tad light on snow, Braemar was very much in the grip of an icy, cold winter.
The boy left the dog shop wearing his smart new jacket. We then drove to the nearby Mar Lodge Estate to see if we could find a snowy trail for him to debut his new jacket on.
A snowy walk – Mar Lodge Estate
We succeeded – The Linn of Dee looked like a winter wonderland, so we walked a short trail by the falls there, then part of a longer trail that leads to Glen Tilt and back to the Atholl Estates in Highland Perthshire.
Our progress was slow, because the boy kept stopping to roll in the snow. He absolutely LOVES snow. It was heartwarming to see him so happy and lost in the moment. Although there were a few cars in the Linn of Dee car park, their owner’s were conspicuous by their absence during our walk, which suited us just fine.
We’ve walked on the Mar Lodge Estate countless times over the years, and it always takes our breath away. It’s a stunningly beautiful place.
Lunch – The Bothy, Braemar
After our snowy ramble, we drove back to Braemar for lunch. The village has a few dog friendly options when it comes to eating out. We decided soup and toasties (our lunchtime favourite) would suffice, so paid The Bothy a visit.
Dogs are welcome in the downstairs area of The Bothy, and also in a heated riverside bothy at the back of the cafe. We chose a table in the riverside bothy, where we could hear the sound of the river flowing outside.
It was a tasty, old school lunch of lentil soup (just like my nana used to make) and cheese toasties – the perfect winter warmer on a chilly February afternoon.
We were fuelled to spend more time outdoors, but got as far as the dog friendly outdoor wear shop next door. The shop’s window display featuring Patagonia bobble hats lured us inside. After a lengthy browse Mr G bought one of said bobble hats. I showed less restraint and bought a hat, jacket and trail shoes, so my bank balance was substantially lighter than his when we left the shop. In my defence, I do spend a lot of time outdoors, so outdoor wear is always a good investment. Well, that’s my story and I’m sticking to it.
Braemar Castle
Before leaving Braemar, we went for a wander in the grounds of Braemar Castle. The 400-year-old fortress is a Clan Farquharson stronghold. It’s leased to the local community and open to the public during tourist season. It’s one of my favourite castles in Scotland, as it’s really unique looking.
We didn’t last too long in the grounds though, as the wind was getting up and nipping at our fingertips. The castle would need to wait for sunnier days to arrive.
I had a hot tub to light, so we set off back to our cosy cottage in Highland Perthshire.
Back to our pet friendly holiday cottage in Perthshire we go
I managed to get the hot tub up to a perfect temperature for the second night running. We were accompanied by the hooting owl again as we soaked in it. Sadly, we didn’t manage to catch a glimpse of our evening companion.
Unlike the previous night which had been still and calm. This night blew up a hoolie of wind and snow. Luckily, the hot tub was under a wooden canopy, so it stayed lovely and hot and we avoided being battered by the elements.
Time to say goodbye to our pet friendly cottage in Perthshire
Our time at Charlottefield was tranquil and relaxing from start to finish. The TV in the lounge stayed off for the entire duration of our stay. Instead of watching TV or surfing the web, we chatted by the fire/in the hot tub, enjoying the sounds of the countryside and a slower pace of life. It was lovely and a much-needed digital detox for us both.
We left Charlottefield feeling refreshed.
Before rejoining the A9 and outside world again, we popped into the iconic Ballinluig Services and Grill for breakfast rolls – because you can’t stay on the doorstep of Ballinluig and not eat there.
We stayed at Charlottefield as part of a paid partnership with Atholl Estates, however all opinions are my own.
Until next time …
If you enjoyed this blog, you may also enjoy this one, featuring a stay at Blair Castle Caravan Park on Atholl Estates.
Love reading your posts and viewing the landscapes through your eyes! What a surprise to see your wee dug casually laying by the fire with his irresistible wee robe. Too cute❣ I hope to make it back to Scotland soon. 2018 seems eons ago.
Lynne Rodgers
We’ll be driving the A9 to Inverness this summer, perhaps we’ll stop for lunch at Blair Atholl. Your recommendations will hit the spot, I’m sure.
I’m sure you won’t be disappointed if you do stay.
As always, thank you for sharing your stories.
Thanks for reading. 😃
I’m glad I just had lunch as your “eats” are making my mouth water. Love the wee white dug’s new jacket. Shopping would definitely be on my list “to do”.