Before our trip to Scotland, I had never had the experience of staying at a bed and breakfast before. I partially knew what to expect - staying in the owner's home and a cooked breakfast in the morning. Maybe a few suggestions of things to see and do. Nothing could have prepared me for the absolute warmth and generosity of the owners of the Dower House Newtonmore B&B in the Cairngorms. They say southerners are known for their hospitality, but a Texan has nothing on Lynda and Eric Dodd.
It had been lightly drizzling for most of our drive from Edinburgh to the Highlands, a thin layer of fog seemed to follow us as we drove past lush green sheep pastures, passed quaint little villages, and winded down narrow roads. As we pulled onto the gravel driveway of the home, the warm glow through the windows welcomed us inside.
Lynda came to greet us as Brent and I each put on a pair of provided slippers by the front door. We were quickly ushered inside from the chill, encouraged to settle into our room and then return downstairs to the sitting room where we found a crackling fire lit in the fireplace.
My face began to gently flush as we settled on the sofa in front of the fire, my eyes taking in the coziness of the home and allowing the warmth wrap around me like a quilt. It wasn't long until Lynda gracefully glided through the door with a tray of freshly baked cakes and cookies, and a hot pot of tea in hand. The pot wore a jacket, a tweed tea cozy handmade by Lynda herself. The cookies, so indulgently sweet, were also her own. We would find more of her baked goods in a metal tin in our room, a note happily informing us that should we need more all we had to do was ask.
We chatted with Lynda about nearby attractions and dining options, before settling on a local pub less than a mile down the road for dinner.
As we stepped outside I wrapped my newly acquired wool scarf around my neck, noticing that the temperature had dropped a bit further. Burying our hands in our coat pockets, we lazily walked the short distance to The Glen.
We spotted some daffodils enjoying the recent rain on our walk to the pub
With our bellies full of warm and savory steak and ale pie and a pint of cold beer each, we strolled back to the B&B as the sky began to darken further. No more than three cars had passed us during our round trip journey. The sleepiness of the village was a welcome change of pace after spending the beginning of our trip in the busier Manchester and Edinburgh.
The next morning we awoke to a typical Scottish day - cloudy grey skies with a fine intermittent mist. As I looked out the window from our room I could see a thriving green garden bursting with bright yellow flowers, meticulously tended to by Lynda. Beyond the garden was more green and the outline of still snow-tipped mountains.
I remember letting out a dreamy sigh as I sat and stared out that window, imagining our lives permanently here one day. The perfect place to retire, I pictured myself sitting at the padded window seat reading or writing as small raindrops gently tap on the window glass. Newtonmore feels almost out of a storybook, a picturesque village nestled between never-ending fields and mountains, far away from the hustle and bustle of the city. Peaceful, romantic.
My daydream was interrupted by our plans for the day. We made our way to the Highland Wildlife Park to see tigers, arctic foxes and polar bears - oh my! After strolling the park and grabbing a hot dog for lunch (and a hot chocolate, of course), we spent the remainder of our day exploring the Highland Folk Museum, Brent pointing out the spot where the show Outlander had been filmed and learning about life in Scotland many years ago. There will be a future post with more detail about this visit.
Another visit to The Glen for a delicious dinner, and a few stolen bites of Lynda's homemade fudge before bed, we settled under the covers to rest from a busy, yet strangely slow-paced, final day in Newtonmore.
The next morning as we packed our belongings, Lynda was busy in the kitchen downstairs preparing our breakfast. After rearranging my abundance of clothes several times, we finally made our way down to the dining room, where Eric brought us another pot of tea - dressed in its lovely handmade cozy of course. Not long after, he brought out the dish I was most excited for - a slice of Eric's homemade bread with a neatly placed vegan haggis 'patty' and egg on top and an avocado spread on the side. Vegan haggis quickly became a new craving, and I would seek it out the remainder of the trip.
As we finished our breakfast, I felt myself weighed to my seat, wishing we could stay just a bit longer. I wasn't ready to leave the peaceful and sleepy village. But there was still so much to see and do, so I finally lifted myself up from the wood table and packed myself into the rental car, ready for the next adventure. Onward to Skye we go.
Stay at the Dower House Newtonmore B&B: A romantic Scottish highlands getaway
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