These two cottages sit in the centre of the Estate and offer panoramic views over the Estate and local countryside from their wrap around decking as well as offering footpaths from their door which join the Estate’s network of riverside and woodland paths. Melrose is only two miles away and an enjoyable walk from the Estate. If that is too far you can drop into the Estate’s tearoom for a cup of tea and bite to eat.

The two lodges are ideal for couples and both have one bedroom with a King size bed and a Bathroom with a large walk in shower and separate bath. The living area has a large fitted kitchen with oven, microwave, dish washer, washing machine and fridge freezer. The sitting area has an internet enabled TV and a wood burning stove. Both the bedroom and sitting area have sliding doors opening onto the decking area. Having tried them out ourselves we really do believe that they have everything needed to ensure you have a memorable visit. Our reviews and high return rates of guests definitely show how much they love these two cottages and that the Estate offers a wonderful and relaxing place for a Scottish holiday surrounded by Nature.

Sustainability is very important to us and so when we employed a local architect we were clear that whilst the two cottages needed to be built to the same standards of a new built house they also needed to use locally sourced building materials as much as possible and have a very energy efficient heating system. Keeping the carbon footprint of the whole build process as low as possible was important to us and continues to be so.

We were delighted to be able to source the lovely larch cladding from a neighbouring Estate where, once harvested, replacement trees were immediately planted in their place. Before fixing the cladding we crammed in as much insulation as possible meaning that heat loss is kept to the absolute minimum and less heating is needed. The radiators and hot water are powered by electricity and we have included 16 solar panels thereby ensuring that we generate over 25% of the electricity that we use. At the time of writing we are considering adding a battery to the system so that we can store excess electricity that is generated by the Solar Panels and use this at night time. We hope that we will be able to increase the electricity that we generate ourselves up to 50% of the total electricity that we use.

For over twenty years we have been managing the Estate for the benefit of nature and we find that many visitors chose to immerse themselves into the wildlife that is thriving on the Estate. This year our Ospreys returned again and fledged three more chicks, the otters produced another set of pups and I saw at least three pairs of Kingfishers. Our field of sunflowers and the wild flowers planted in the field margins around our Barley fields were buzzing with pollinators and Bugs and provided a source of food for a most amazing array of butterflies.

Old Melrose Estate provides a wonderful place to “Retreat to Nature” in the heart of the Scottish Borders.