One year on

It's nearly 12 months since we welcomed our first guests to Curlew Cottage and The Old Dairy. It's been great fun and we've met lots of really lovely people from all over the world. We started working on the designs for the cottages around the time we finished building our house (5 years ago) but for lots of reasons, time, money, family and business, we didn't commence the renovation of the dairy and byre until May 2011. When you're heavily involved in the project management and specification of any project it takes a while to step back and appreciate 'the job' is finished but in reality for us the end of the renovation project marked the start of the holiday cottage business. Aside from fitting out the cottages, there was a website to create, advertising to organise and endless amounts of bed linen to change. We've learned a lot in the past year and a half but we are also hugely pleased that the cottages have been so well received by our guests. Thankfully we've had glowing reviews and many pleasant comments. We've been excited to meet people from so many different places, family groups of 3 generations, we've had a stag party and a hen weekend, 2 groups taking part in a huge charity challenge, couples escaping from the rat race and new born babes on their first holiday.

In December last year we were pleasantly reminded of the renovations when the Glasgow Institute of Architects awarded the cottages their prestigious award for Sustainable Design. It was a terrific achievement and great recognition for Thomas Robinson Architects and for ourselves. Most importantly though the sustainable design has worked in practice, our guests are comfortable, even in the depths of winter the cottages are warm 24/7 so when people have hiked the hills they know they have a warm place to return to. Everyone loves the wood burning stoves and the fact we offer free top ups of the log basket!