The start of the school year ruffles everyone’s feathers, one way or another. Those with school age children are madly adding name labels and holding back tears (some, admittedly, are jumping for joy!). While everyone else is cheered by the hope of an Indian summer, more choice and lower prices for an imminent holiday. Neither would be without our list of school holidays Scotland for the 2019/20 academic year!
For School holidays in Scotland in 2020
Planning a holiday in Scotland this year? Guests with and without children often ask us when the Scotland school holidays are because they want to know whether to expect places to be busy or quiet during their visit.
Scottish school holidays do vary from UK school holidays in England and Wales; they can also vary from region to region.
With the addition earlier in the year of the Magnificent Adam Mansion to the Scotts Castle Holidays portfolio of self-catering holiday houses in Scotland, we have been asked a number of times – what is an Adam Mansion?
Gripping TV series, Outlander, has put Scotland on the map, featuring some of the country’s most dramatic castles and breath-taking landscapes – if you’re ready to immerse yourself in the land of Claire and Jamie, take a trip to Scotland and see the beauty of the country for yourself.
Here is just one of many properties that capture the history and drama of the TV series and that are available for large group holidays:
Have a look at our unique Scottish collection to find your perfect Outlander holiday in Scotland.
Plan your own Outlander trip using the Visit Scotland film locations map and take in the locations featured in the TV series.
PS Talk to our team today and book your historical castle base for the duration.
Anyone staying at the Stylish Converted Church near Kelso will be aware that they have booked a historic building that has been beautifully converted into an up-market self-catering holiday house, but what they may not know are its connections to Lily Langtry and the local grain merchants! Whilst a church had been on this site since 1739, the current structure is the one that was built in 1878, with some assistance from the local landowner.
George Alexander Baird owned the land at Stichill and was also a benefactor to fund the building of the new church, along with local farmers and businessmen. As a personality, he is the unlikeliest person to be associated with a church, though his family had been very religious! The Baird family had made a fortune in mining and iron-works and had bought the nearby estate of Stichill (and the Baird crest can still be seen at the old entrance gates), which he inherited from an uncle and on the death of his father, he had an annual income of £100,000, which was a small fortune. He led most of his life elsewhere and amongst other things, was a successful gentlemen jockey, horse owner (he won the Derby in 1887) and put up money for prize fights. His London address was 36 Curzon Street, which he bought during a drunken evening with friends, and woke with a hangover the next morning in the master bedroom to be told he was now the new owner!
In 1889, he met Lily Langtry (King Edward VII’s former mistress) a renowned actress and beauty and immediately became completely infatuated with her. It is alleged that she visited Stichill and accepted many gifts from her “eccentric young bachelor” with his estates in Scotland. His “spend, spend, spend” life continued for the next few years and it was while he was in America arranging a fight between “Gentleman Jim” Corbett and John Sullivan for the world title that the party stopped. On a drunken night out in New Orleans he collapsed and died on 18th March 1893 at the age of 31. His body was embalmed, encased in lead, and returned to Stichill Parish Church, where his remains are to this day.
The church had been one of two churches in Stichill, the other one, being the Parish Church and over the years it became too much to maintain two buildings, so it was the Parish Church that continued on. From 1938 onwards the church became redundant, and only used for parish meetings. From the 1960’s onwards it became a depot for grain and potatoes, and later to a local builder. In 2001, it was bought and the renovation process began. The church external structure was retained, with all stained glass windows, timber beams and buttresses intact, but the internal features were completely altered. The main defining feature is the glass floor which allows light to the floor below and an open-plan first floor living space, which is 60 foot by 40 foot in area.
Initially re-built for residential use, it has been adapted for holiday letting and successfully lets with Scotts Castle Holidays. It is offered on a self-catering basis for up to 10 people and has proved to be very popular. Why not contact Scotts Castle Holidays today to book this Stylish Converted Church near Kelso and find out more about the fascinating history and architecture?
It was reported in the weekend papers that David Beckham is filming a whisky advert in Scotland and various grainy images of him in a green velvet smoking jacket at a lodge in the Highlands were on display. This came as no surprise to Scotts Castle Holidays as a few months ago we were involved in assisting with the search for the suitable location.
Whilst 25th January is known in Scotland and around the world as “Burn’s Night”, in celebration of the national bard, Robbie Burns, where haggis is eaten, whisky is drunk and poetry is recited. For the celebrated Canadian actor, Donald Sutherland, his early memory of Scotland is of a different type of supper – a fish supper! “The best fish and chips come from Arbroath,” he said. “The best fish and chips I’ve ever tasted.” With his first acting job being at Perth Repertory, he got to know Scotland before he became famous.
As the grandson of a Scots church minister, his arrival in Scotland was a sort of homecoming. He stayed in Perth for nine months and touring took him to places like Dunfermline, Kirkcaldy and Arbroath. After leaving the Perth Theatre, he moved to London and worked in Hammer Horror films, before hitting the big time with films like “Kelly’s Heroes” and “The Dirty Dozen”. His career has now spanned over 40 years and he has starred in more than 150 film and television roles. The film “Eye of the needle” took him back to Scotland, where the remote island scenes were shot over eight weeks on the Isle of Mull in the Inner Hebrides. He is now being seen as President Snow in “Hunger Games” which has brought Donald Sutherland to the attention of a new generation of fans, to add to his fans in Arbroath.
Arbroath is traditionally known for its “Arborath Smokies”, rather than fish suppers, but being on the coast, fishing is in the blood. The haddock are prepared using traditional methods dating back to the late 1800s. The fish are first salted overnight, then left to dry and then smoked. When the fish are hung over the fire, the top of the barrel is covered with a lid and sealed around the edges with wet jute sacks. All of this serves to create a very hot, humid and smoky fire, which is essential if the fish are to be cooked, and to have the strong smoky taste and smell people expect from Arbroath smokies. Typically in less than an hour of smoking, the fish are ready to eat. Once eaten, never forgotten.
For self-catering holidays in large houses and castles in Scotland, contact Scotts Castle Holidays.
Sam Heughan, the 33 year old Scottish actor, who is cast as Jamie Fraser in the forthcoming TV series of Diana Gabaldon’s “Outlander” has said he has been amazed at how good Scotland looks from the footage produced from the filming on the show, which is being made for the Starz cable network in the US. “We’ve already been all over Scotland doing location work, including at Doune Castle. Honestly, I think people will think we have used CGI it looks so incredible, especially with the landscape”.
The commissioning of the 16-part series is expected to generate at least £20 million for the Scottish economy, with the show already billed as Scotland’s answer to “Game of Thrones”. More than 25 million of Diana Gabaldon’s books have been sold around the world so far and the TV series is expected to be a major success when it comes out later in 2014.
The film production has been based in Cumbernauld with locations including Doune Castle, near Stirling, which was closed for a month to accommodate filming. The show follows the adventures of married nurse Claire and her entanglements with Jamie after she is mysteriously propelled through time from the Second World War to the time of the Jacobite rebellion.
Whilst fans of “Outlander” will hopefully enjoy the TV series as much as the book, it will also showcase Scotland and its castles and scenery. For those wishing to visit Doune Castle where some of the filming has taken place, then why not check out the selection of large holiday houses and castles in Scotland today at Scotts Castle Holidays.
On ITV on Monday nights, there is a series presented by Robson Green, the well known actor and fisherman from the North East, who presents a show all about Northumberland. The show is called “Tales from Northumberland” and is another generic TV show with a well known presenter explaining an area they know, like Ade Edmondson, James Nesbitt and Caroline Quentin, with Yorkshire, Ireland and Cornwall. 
Over eight half-hour episodes, Robson Green is your guide to enlighten those who do not know about this less well known area of the UK. Last week, he discovered more on the bloody battles between the English and the Scots, which meant for example that the town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, changed allegiance thirteen times. Even today, many locals will say that Berwick is more Scottish than English. In fact, in places the river Tweed becomes the boundary between Scotland and England, and you can be fishing in Scotland or England depending on your footing in the water. 
All across the border there are pockets of land that could be Scottish or English and in the past these were called the “debatable lands”. Created by family feuds and cross border allegiances, these were lawless areas beyond the control of either country. This Unique Historic Castle, is a fine example of a Scottish vernacular style tower house, but it is now located in Cumbria across the border in England. When it was built back in 1584, the area was Scottish but part of the “debatable lands”. All other tower houses of this style ended up being officially Scottish once the border was drawn up leaving this as a unique example of a Scottish clan tower house built in the Scottish style but on English soil.
Today it is available for self-catering holidays and is a popular destination for those involved with weddings at Gretna, which is known the world over as a marriage venue. The reason is the difference in marriage laws in England and Scotland. Back in 1753, England’s Marriage Act sought to prevent couples under the age of 21 marrying without their parents’ consent. And it was this that prompted a rush to Scotland, where the law was less prohibitive. 
On the main route from London to Scotland, the first stop over the border was Gretna Green in Dumfries and Galloway. The village’s blacksmith shop presented the first opportunity for a wedding. It is still popular today – but back then it was about the difference at the border between Scotland and England. Why not cross the border today and check out the selection of large holiday houses and castles in Scotland at Scotts Castle Holidays.
What does British football’s most successful manager do after blowing the final whistle on his career? Sir Alex Ferguson, having been the most successful manager in the modern era of Manchester United for 27 years, it was time to take a break. So once the final whilst blew on the last game of the season last year and he officially retired as manager, he fulfilled a lifetime’s ambition and made his booking for the Scottish holiday he had always wanted and hired a boat to tour the Hebrides with friends and family.
