at the end of august we spent five days staying in the converted servants’ quarters of kinmount house, a gorgeous 19th century estate set on 2000 acres of verdant gorgeous scottish countryside. we just happened upon this listing on airbnb and decided to take a chance on this random place that had hardly any reviews. this shot in the dark rewarded us richly – this was the perfect place for us to be while our friend lizzy quarantined at our flat. ian continued working remotely, the boys and i had a whole new world to explore, and we all were so refreshed by the change of scenery, the fresh air and the change of pace outside of the busy city. we were all stunned by how amazing this place was! we got to peek into the gorgeous italian garden, walk around the two lakes and back into the beautiful wooded areas, play at the playground, cook yummy meals in the kitchen and picnic on the green, green grass, and just enjoy beauty and peace all around. the only thing that would have made it better would have been if the little indoor pool was open (it was closed due to covid)! this place is amazing because it feels completely remote but it’s only a 10-15 minute drive to a town with ample grocery stores, etc. such a hidden gem that we are so glad we discovered!!

we spent one day at the lake district (on ian’s birthday!) and otherwise just enjoyed our lush surroundings at kinmount house. some photos from our time there:

the cottage we stayed in is in that row extending off to the right of the main house.
we couldn’t go in the main house – i’m so curious what it’s like inside!

so many wildflowers around the lake! the boys made me spectacular little bouquets.

we spent some time inside doing crafts and playing with toys when it was raining. moses made these pigs for lizzy after finding out that her favourite animal is a pink baby pig. we sent her this photo! i spent some time digging in a little on my effort to become an anti-racist and i loved these thoughts from richard rohr’s daily meditation.

the courtyard for the cottages – there are a few but i think only one other was being rented when we were there.

efforts to snap photos despite the bright sun one afternoon 🙂

moses was really into “making potions” in his bucket, collecting wild mushrooms, different types of grass, wild flowers, etc.

these wildly blooming hydrangeas took my breath away. when gabriel brushed by some stinging nettle, moses encouraged him to rub a dewy flower on the prickly spot and it actually worked really well to soothe gabriel’s skin!

birthday cake after a fun day at the lake district (pictures from that coming next!). a memorable birthday party for ian/daddy at kinmount house!

such a neat little spot on earth that we’re so glad to have experienced!