Esk Broch

A round house at the foot of the wood

Balbinny built two brochs on the farm, and what separates them is where each one stands. Esk is at the foot of the wood; Lethnot sits between the pond and the same view. Both are circular, faced in stone off the steading that stood here before, and roofed in grass so they sit into the slope rather than on it.

Inside the large French windows is one open kitchen and living space with oak worktops, a wood burning stove and Sonos wired through it. Off that are two en suite bedrooms: the master with a super king, an upcycled headboard and a large rainwater shower, and the second with either twin beds or a second king, and a feature bath.

The hot tub is the part worth planning around. It is a Swedish wood burner, lit and brought up to heat rather than switched on. Balbinny puts the outlook at 180 degrees across the River South Esk to the Angus Glens and the Cairngorms.

The two brochs

Good to know

Features

Location

Where it puts you

You can walk from the door without driving anywhere first, which is unusual for a stay of this sort. Balbinny has laid fenced footpaths across the farm, taking in the Aberlemno Pictish stones and the Lemno burn, and there is a tennis court in the walled garden, a multi-games pitch and a 40 metre zip wire for children.

Further out, Balbinny points guests at the Angus Glens and their Munros, Balgavies Loch, the trails along the South Esk, Lunan Bay, and St Cyrus beach, which it puts at twenty minutes. Arbikie, the field to bottle distillery above Lunan Bay, is the nearest wet weather afternoon. Dundee and the V&A are a short drive by Balbinny's reckoning, and Edinburgh about ninety minutes. If Esk is booked, Lethnot is the same house by the pond.