COUNTRY HOUSE B&B AND SELF CATERING
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Allegedly Craigellie was the last mansion house built in Scotland. Its quirky Italianate turret and wonderful country house frontage give it both charm and character. The setting is private and peaceful; the grounds are spacious; walks from the doorstep are plentiful and within walking distance is the small town of Alyth.
The current owners, Charles and Liz, moved to Craigellie in 2018 with a vision to restore the house and garden to its former glory and upgrade the facilities to offer comfortable accommodation to guests. They started with the "East Wing", formerly the working part of the house, tastefully renovating it to offer spacious, light and airy self-catering accommodation. Next was the "West Wing" where they set to work creating two beautiful B&B rooms with en-suite facilities and a private breakfast and sitting room for guests in the old Billiards Room.
Conscious of the environmental footprint of this age and size of property, they spent many hours researching different renewable options before installing a large ground-mounted solar array; a wood-powered biomass boiler and discreet polycarbonate glazing panels. The result is a warm, dry house powered principally by renewable energy.
​​"Our two children loved pottering around the garden, playing on the tree swing and spotting red squirrels"
Creating a beautiful garden has been a labour of love - it took almost 2 years of heavy pruning, felling and clearing before they were finally able to establish new herbaceous beds and borders to complement the delightful stone steps and terraces to the south and create a sunny garden for guests leading into the pretty woodland at the rear of the property.
As well as the resident hens, Craigellie is home to many different forms of wildlife. Listen out for the mew of the buzzards as they soar into the sky from their tree-top nest in the paddock; watch the red squirrels feed and play in the garden and if you are exceptionally lucky you might even spot the pine martins who nested one year in the log shed, or one of the beavers who live up the road.
This part of Perthshire is well known for its beautiful, rolling countryside and soft fruit production. In the summer months you can visit the local farm shop and enjoy freshly picked berries, or sample local jams and cream teas at one of the nearby tea rooms or cafés.