The House in the Hill

An off-grid house on top of a Borders hill

The House in the Hill sits high on Townfoot Hill on a working family farm outside Jedburgh, and the whole design is arranged around what you can see from it, which is most of the central Borders in every direction. Floor-to-ceiling glazing along the living space, a private terrace, and a roof terrace above it.

It runs off the grid: ground source heating, solar, its own spring water and a green roof. That could easily be the sort of eco stay where you pay for the principle in comfort, and it is not. There is underfloor heating, a wood burner, a proper kitchen with an oven, hob and dishwasher, and good bedding.

The wood-fired hot tub is the thing people remember. It faces open country with nothing built between it and the horizon, and because it is fired rather than pumped it is as good in January as in June.

Good to know

Features

Location

Inside

The living space is open plan and built around the glazing, with a wood burner at one end and a dining table set for long meals rather than quick ones. The master has a king bed and an en-suite; the second bedroom is flexible and there is a second bathroom.

Where it puts you

You are ten minutes from Jedburgh and its abbey, one of the better ruins in southern Scotland and visible from most of the town. Monteviot House and its gardens are about fifteen minutes, Floors Castle at Kelso around twenty-five, and Melrose with its own abbey about thirty.

There is a circular walk from the door around Townfoot Hill, which is a good hour before breakfast or at dusk. For something longer, the Eildon Hills above Melrose are half an hour away, and St Cuthbert's Way crosses the area if you want a section of a long-distance route without committing to the whole thing. The Scottish Borders page has the rest of it.