Cosses Country House Blog » perfect holidays

A Happy New Year from Cosses Country House

susanc — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 23:20:13 +0000

View from Cosses drive

Happy New Year from Cosses Country House – your favourite Scottish Holiday Destination!
We have been busy in 2010 creating the Cosses Trail and Arboretum.
We have landscaped the pond, built a bird hide, built bridges and planted over 50 Acer trees and 12 Crab Apple Trees. This has created a wonderful trail – just about all that Bonzo dog can manage these days. Montydog loves the long walks such as the Ayrshire Coastal path, Carrick and Galloway walks and the western Southern Upland Way. Robin is enjoying playing golf .as all the coastal, links courses are open with lots of discounted play over the winter. We are officially part of Scotland’s first biosphere with real darkness witnessing metior showers, eclipses and wonderful star gazing.
We still have lots of winter vegetables, creating lots of winter dishes and now we are busy selecting seeds for all the special vegetables for our home grown produce for 2011.
We are open from February with the Winter White Festival for snowdrop walks, continuing through the spring with all the daffodils. We will have a Scotland Garden Scheme open day on 15th May with a bluebell walk.

View over Cosses Valley

The Ayrshire Coastal Path from Cosses Country House

susanc — Mon, 11 Oct 2010 11:03:17 +0000

Saturday was yet another glorious Autumn Day in South West Scotland and as we did not have any guests staying we set off to walk the first section of the Ayrshire Coastal path from Glenapp to Ballantrae
The Autumn colours were beautiful

Climbing out of Glenapp

The path rises to give wonderful views of Loch Ryan and out to the Irish Sea, passing through forest, moorland, farmland and coastal bays and cliffs

The secluded Bay of Currarie Port

Nestled between the cliffs this was a great smugglers landing place

This is a great place for a picnic and Monty Dog to have a swim and cool off! From here you can watch wild goats and buzzards hunting pray, gliding on the wind around the cliffs. We also watched a fishing boat checking his lobster pots.
Quite a climb follows to the cliff tops, miles from any road

The sea crashes onto the rocks below

Grazing cattle and sheep, sky larks and gulls, hardly a sole to be seen (we met one walker heading south).

Walking along the cliff tops, Ballantrae just comes into view

As we get closer to Ballantrae, Knockdolian, dominates the skyline. This hill is known as the ‘False Craig’ , as from the sea its shape is the same as Ailsa Craig and sailors have been known to use it for navigation by mistake!

Knockdolian dominates the skyline above Ballantrae

As we approach Ballantrae, beautiful views of the River Stinchar and the Estuary appear

The River Stinchar forms a beautiful Estuary where it flows into the Irish Sea

Lifts to and from locations on the Ayrshire Coastal path can be organised from Cosses Country House

Fine Dining at Cosses Country House

susanc — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 23:00:14 +0000

I just love these long summer evenings when it hardly ever seems to get dark. The cottage garden is a dream with lupins, delphiniums and roses, and the kitchen garden is beginning to produce an abundance of fruit, herbs and vegetables. The guests relax in the garden over afternoon tea with chocolate cake, whilst I select the evenings vegetables. There is a choice of Swift or Epicure potatoes; spring cabbage, spinach or Swiss chard, a gourmet selection of lettuce and lots of fresh herbs. Strawberries and gooseberries are in season, well matched with Elderflowers for faulous desserts.
i will be demonstrating at the Royal Highland show on Thursday, using all this seasonal produce.

Old Riley stays at Cosses Country House

susanc — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 16:02:12 +0000

Wolsey Lodge guests arrived in their beautiful blue Riley, having been to a rally near Loch Lomond. Wolsey Lodges are a great place for vintage car owners to stay as they nearly always have safe discreet parking.

Tim with his Riley

Other guests, this week have had great walking experiences doing the first section of the Ayrshire Coastal Path, walking aroung Glen Trool, the first section of the Southern Upland Way from Port Patrick and out to St.Ninians Cave on the Isle of Whithorn.

The path down the Merrick towards Loch Trool

The garden is looking glorious and guests have enjoyed afternoon tea and breakfast in the garden. It has rained all day today and provided a much needed watering of the garden.

In the garden at Cosses Country House

Gardens in Southern Scotland are a ‘must see’ in May

susanc — Sun, 09 May 2010 12:20:23 +0000

May is my favourite month! Everything is poised to burst open, there’s an incredible amount of energy around and lots of bird song. There are carpets of bluebells throughout the woods, with many other wild flowers including orchids. The camellias, rhododendrons and azaleas, crinodendrons, embothriums and other spring flowering trees and shrubs provide stunning colour and scents. There are numerous gardens, open to the public, for the garden lover to enjoy and we suggest itineraries for guests to get the most out of their stay with us, including where to visit on their journeys to and from us.
Bargany is a favourite:

The boathouse

Glenwhan celebrates being open for 30 years next Sunday with a hog roast and special tour of the garden
www.glenwhangardens.co.uk . Castle Kennedy Gardens, famous for its huge display of ancient rhododendrons and exotic shrubs, and Logan Botanical Gardens are thrilling with their displays of trillions, meconopsis and rare plants. Many gardens are just open on certain days and details of these can be found in Scotland Garden Scheme www.gardensofscotland.org

Wisteria growing round the kitchen window

The perfect Garden Lovers Holiday (very romantic locations!)

Caroline’s hen party at Cosses Country House and the boat trip to Ailsa Craig

susanc — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 17:30:10 +0000

Last weekend saw Cosses Country House host Caroline’s ‘Hen Party’.
All 8 ladies arrived on Friday evening when Kristina conducted a tutored wine tasting before supper.
An early start was needed the next morning in order to make the sailing from Girvan harbour at 10am. All boardered the Glorious and skipper mark Mccrindle set off for a rather choppy crossing to the volcanic plug, Ailsa Craig. The granite to make curling stones is mined (every few years) on Ailsa Craig. Seals gather on the shore and can be seen bobbing out of the water.

The bride and her brides maid’s climbed to the top -quite a hike!!

A great picnic was hungryly devoured on the return to the shore, but had to be finished on board the Glorious, which was waiting to pick us up. Another 10 minutes and the boat would not have been able to reach the jetty! The boat then circled the island and we watched seals and ganets, the puffins had not yet returned to breed.
All members of the hen party returned for a siesta before gathering for drinks and pre dinner games. A magnificent dinner of Crab, tomato and rocket salad, Gressingham Ducking Breast with czar plum sauce, Clapshot, purple sprouting broccoli; Almond and Ginger Tuilles with Rhubarb and Ginger ice cream; Scottish Cheese and Home made oatcakes; then coffee and tablet. Lots of silly games ensued!
A lovely woodland walk, where bluebells and orchids are coming into bloom followed breakfast. The party finished their weekend with afternoon tea at Glenapp Castle.

Holiday Southern Scotland at Visit Scotland Expo

susanc — Sat, 17 Apr 2010 08:51:42 +0000

Holiday Southern Scotland took a stand at visit Scotland expo to promote Southern Scotland and Wolsey Lodges. We are aiming to make Southern Scotland a premiere destination. We are the garden of Scotland with many of the best gardens in Scotland. Paddy Scott from Scotland’s Garden Scheme helped us on the stand. We have the best golf courses in Scotland from West Coast Links to East Lothian gems. The best walking in Scotland from the Ayrshire Coastal path, the Carrick Way, The Southern Upland way and Borders walks. With outstanding scenery, the best cycling is to be found in Southern Scotland at 7 Staines in Dumfries and Galloway. And without doubt we have some of the best food in Scotland from the Ayrshire food network, Galloway food towns, to the Borders food network with many ‘Slow Food’ members. And whilst participating in all of the above we have the best 4 and 5 ***** places to stay in Scotland from here at Cosses Country House and other Wolsey Lodges to Glenapp Castle or exclusive use at Blair Castle or self catering at dog friendly Castlehill.

Visit Scotland Expo

SSMI stand at Expo

New Zealand

susanc — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 15:34:59 +0000

Early morning in the perfect calm

Just back from the most amazing holiday in New Zealand visiting our daughter. Meanwhile, at home, our son Duncan, has taken time out from his renewable energy business, to install under floor heating and new stone tile flooring in all the bathrooms. They are looking really great but still need some finishing off, so we are not quite ready for visitors yet!

We are just about over the jet lag, still thinking about the amazing scenery, sailing in Doubtful Sound, driving along the 90 mile beach racing against the tide, experiencing the Maori tradition of saying farewell to loved ones at Cape Reinga – where the Tasmin Sea meets the Pacific Ocean. Also walks through volcanic areas, with boiling mud, geysers and rainbow lakes; walks over mountains, round lakes and in the Kauri Forests not to mention coastal paths to hidden beaches.

A hidden Cove