Doonan's Cottage
from £110.00 Per night*
Balbeg Estate, Straiton, Ayrshire, KA19 7NN
T: +44 (0)1655 770665
One long room and a wood
Balbeg is an estate with five holiday houses on it, and Doonan's is the three bedroom one. It stands detached at the edge of the wood, and the long room through the middle is where a group of six ends up: 25 feet of lounge and dining space with the stove at one end. Outside there is a private garden with patio furniture.
The estate runs largely on its own power. A 27kW hydro scheme on the Balbeg Burn has been generating since 2012, enough for about 20 homes, with the surplus exported to the grid. A 199kW woodchip boiler installed in 2014 heats every property on woodchip cut two miles away. Three electric car charging points serve guests, though they sit at Balcraig House and Rabbie Burns Lodge rather than at Doonan's.
What the grounds hold
The playpark has swings, a roundabout, and a castle with a slide. There is a separate adventure playground with climbing frames, swings, and rope bridges, and a grass football pitch with goal posts. The nature pond has a bird hide, and the orchard's apple and plum trees and soft fruit bushes are there for guests to pick. Children can work through the estate's own treasure hunt.
Good to know
- Dogs are £25 each and two per property is the limit. They must be over 12 months old, house trained, and kept off the furniture and the beds.
- The terms give that charge as per week and the booking page as per booking, so confirm which applies.
- Smoking is not allowed in any of the estate's properties.
- Groups of under 21s are not accepted.
- A 25 per cent deposit is due within three days of booking, with the balance 42 days before arrival.
- Cancelling inside 14 days of arrival forfeits the whole rental fee, and the sliding scale starts six weeks out.
- Leaving later than 10am is charged.
Features
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Free parking
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EV charger
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Pets Allowed
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Free Wifi
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Fully fitted kitchen
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Electric Car Charging
Location
Where it puts you
Blairquhan Castle stands at Straiton and opens for tours at times. Drop back towards the coast and this is Ayrshire castle and Burns country: Culzean Castle above the shore, the Robert Burns Birthplace Museum at Alloway, and Heads of Ayr Farm Park, which the owners note runs from Easter to October. Ayr has a beach with a playground and mini golf, and Pirate Petes indoors for a wet afternoon.
Inland, the owners point at the Seven Stanes mountain biking trails, fishing lochs, riding centres, and the golf. They give Glasgow Science Centre as 39 miles, Stirling Castle as 61, and Edinburgh Castle as 69.
Family friendly walks in Ayrshire
Ten routes for short legs, for the days the estate's own three are not enough.
Frequently asked questions
What walks start from the door?
Three signposted woodland routes. The flat circuit of the nature pond takes about 15 minutes, and the steep climb to the top of Bennan Hill takes about an hour.
How are the two bathrooms arranged?
The double bedroom has its own en suite shower room, and there is a second bathroom with a shower over the bath.
What is in the kitchen?
An electric cooker, a dishwasher, a fridge freezer, a microwave, a toaster, and a Nespresso machine, with crockery and utensils and a table that seats six. There is a washing machine and a tumble dryer as well.
What else is on the estate?
Four more houses: Rabbie Burns Lodge for 16, Balcraig House for eight, Balbeg Cottage for eight, and Foxglove Cottage for four. Taken together the five sleep up to 40.
How far is Galloway Forest Park?
The owners give it as about a mile away. It runs to 300 square miles, which makes it the largest forest park in Britain, and it is a dark sky park.
What is the final approach by road?
From the south it is a single track road off the B741. The estate is a quarter of a mile in from the main Balbeg sign, about a mile and a half beyond Straiton village.
Important
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