Don’t know about you, but I am a big fan of putting on my boots, firing up the satnav and heading off in search of pastures anew.
To seek out adventures in far flung (not so) foreign lands. To find pretty pockets of delight in this green and pleasant island paradise of ours.
In this case, Mrs Cullimore and I decided to pack our bags and head for the hilly bits up north, to take a trip all the way up to the borders. A place neither of us knew very well but fancied getting better acquainted with.
Not quite sure why, but it just felt like the time was right to take a journey up that way, to look around the soft rolling countryside, the curvaceous green corners that connect Scotland and England so beautifully.
I’ve always heard good things about the Borders and thought it was about time to check it out for myself. Spoiler alert, it was well worth the effort. Very much so.
The Lowdown
Getting There
If you live in the south west, as we do, it is a fine old drive. Takes you all the way up the spine of England, either on the east side or the west, depending on your mood.
Rather than rush in like a badger in a bookshop, we decided to take our time, stopping off for a night on the way up.
Which meant we had plenty of chances to enjoy the changing landscape and towns as we threaded our way up through the Midlands, the north and kept on going until we bumped into Northumberland and meandered through the lower edges of Scotland.
At a Glance: Getting There
The Hotel
After doing some research, we had settled on staying at SCHLOSS Roxburghe, a superb upmarket country spa hotel and golf course, set in the heart of a tree filled and decidedly stunning estate.
By the way, in case you’re wondering, the German word, schloss, (pronounced, “schloss,”) means castle, palace or stately home, and is just about the perfect way to describes this film set worthy slice of real estate.
It’s got filmstar looks, gorgeous grounds and enough sparkle to keep a unicorn smiling for week.
Everywhere you look, the attention to detail is superb. The rolling grounds stretch out on all sides as far as the eye can see and are kept in immaculate order.
With wooded walks, manicured greens and even a spot of shooting on hand for those that wish. It’s no wonder that Bonnie Prince Charlie popped in for a visit on his way back to France in the eighteenth century.
He even planted a rose bush to honour the occasion, apparently.
Everything about the place reeks of class, style and jaw dropping luxury. As if to prove the point, when we arrived, a whole tranche of classic sports cars had just parked up out front.
Jaguars, Porsches and Bentleys were all casually lined up on the lawn in front of the door, as they stopped off on a tour of the borders.
Things got even classier when we walked inside. Log fires were burning, staff were smiling and the decor was just as exquisite inside as the grounds were outside.
Even before we found our room I was starting to feel relaxed and spoilt. Which is always a good thing in a hotel.
The Room
We had gone for a kingsize bedroom, with views over the golf course. Naturally there was an enormous bed, soft as a cloud and warm as a sauna.
Along with an equally enormous ensuite featuring a monster sized drench shower.
There were also the usual trapping of indulgent delights, coffee machine, kettle, fridge, biscuits and, my special favourite, a chaise longue in front of the window.
It was the perfect place to lie back, chill out and stare out at the trees, thinking of nothing, for as long as your heart could wish.
Of course, we couldn’t spend all day long lounging around nibbling the complimentary biscuits, there were things to be done, places to be explored. Which is exactly what we did.
The Spa
Our first port of call was the luscious and lovely spa on the ground floor.
Off to one side there was a gym for those who like lifting, whilst outdoors there was a heated swimming pool, for those that like splashing about.
My own particular fave were the brace of mighty fine saunas next to the swimming pool. One hot, the other, hotter. Both complemented by a small but perfectly formed outdoor plunge pool.
If all of that good stuff wasn’t enough to float you all the way up to paradise, there was also an enormous chill out area stuffed full of loungers for lazing on, beds big enough to live in and a snack bar stocked with enough dried fruit goodies to satisfy the hungriest of health freaks.
All in all, the spa was a real gem. We made sure to visit it every day of our stay.
Charlie’s
Named after the Bonnie Prince himself, this superior dining room is definitely fit for a king.
The food is fab and comes to you courtesy of a style they like to call, Scottish Bistronomy. Not exactly sure what that is, but I do know it’s stylish and tasty.
The crab and salmon stuffed courgette flower was superb, whilst the treacle cured pork chop was the stuff of sweet meaty legend. Gorgeous, enormous and scrumptious.
A treat for any gastro lover. Quite simply, it was food fit for a prince. Or princess. Bonnie, or otherwise.
Whisky Tasting
Naturally, being in Scotland and extremely proud of the fact, the hotel had a remarkably broad selection of whiskies, enough to fill the shelves of a pretty large room, to be honest.
And if you are a fan of such things (as I am) you can take part in some highly enjoyable whisky tasting, should you wish (as I very much did).
Whisky tasting meant sitting down for an hour or so with the lovely and remarkably well informed Carrie-Anne, the resident whisky expert, who helped me work my way slowly but surely through a flight of three extremely tasty single malts.
Each different, each delicious and each of them an absolutely delightful dram.
Sniffing, sipping and rolling them round the tongue whilst learning the inner secrets of their tasting notes was yet another highlight of the trip.
The Bar
By now we were starting to feel the need for some lighter bites, so made our way to the cosy bar.
Sitting in comfy chairs by a glowing fire we tucked in to a bowl of tempura vegetables in a Nepalese curry sauce, followed by a meat and cheese board overflowing with good things to nibble.
We finished the evening with another small glass of whisky. Would have been rude not to. Don’t you think?
The Breakfast
Next morning we went down to see what sort of breakfasts were on offer. Turns out, they were rather excellent.
As well as bowls of porridge, you could get all the usual cold cuts, pastries, fruits and so on.
There was also a self serve full fry up, Scottish style, with slices of black pudding and haggis just waiting to be enjoyed.
But the star of the show, for those that love the idea of kippers (as I do), was the offer of an Arbroath smokie. It totally took the breakfast game to a whole new level.
Out and About
There are enough lovely little market towns, villages and ancient Roman remains around the area to keep you busy for days.
Amongst other places of interest, we jumped over to Jedburgh, made our way round Melrose, checked out Coldstream and kept on going until we got to Kelso. All of them were well worth a visit and indeed, a return visit some day.
Conclusion
After dipping our toes in the best bits of the borders, I can happily report that they are every bit as beautiful and bonny as you could wish for. Definitely worth a trip. And if you’re looking for the best place to base yourself, can thoroughly recommend this hotel. What’s it got? It’s SCHLOSS the lot.
