Booked New Year 2010/11

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Braemar family-sized self-catering house - children welcome

Drumrunie House, in the heart of the Cairngorms National Park, is beautifully positioned, cut out of the hillside on a rise overlooking the river Dee and ringed by the high mountains beyond. This Victorian house, a perfect family holiday home, is furnished, equipped and decorated to a high standard.

(In 2008 a new hardwood conservatory with a cathedral-style roof was added, and the kitchen/dining room has been refloored with hardwood flooring. The kitchen is newly fitted with Shaker-style kitchen units, and there is a new dining table.)

Situated at the edge of the village of Braemar, one of Scotland’s prettiest and most popular villages, which hosts the famous Highland Games so loved by the Royal Family, it has immediate access to countryside walks and trails without even having to cross a road. The climate is as Alpine as anywhere in the UK - often dry and sunny with crisp, clear nights (a deterrent to midges). Drumrunie's elevation is about 1250 feet above sea level.

The sheltered, landscaped garden, visited daily by red squirrels, affords panoramic views across the classic Highland landscape, yet offers a safe place for children to play. Children have their very own garden playhouse on the lawn, a tower tree house and an adjacent Wendy house. Toddler play equipment is made available on the lawn in summer. The special garden is protected by gates and fenced from the deer and rabbits which would love to dine out on the plants – but you may have the pleasure of watching them from the house.

A barbecue area is positioned to enjoy the afternoon and evening sun. There is an outdoor dining suite and the views are breathtaking. The shops, restaurants and traditional hotels of Braemar are just a short stroll away. So convenient is everything, including immediate access to walks and bike trails, that some parties have found by the end of the week they've hardly had cause to use a car. On the other hand, the whole of the Cairngorms National Park beckons, as do the Castle and Whisky Trails.

Skiing at Glenshee is just a 15-minute drive, and the Lecht slopes are approximately a 40-minute drive north. Braemar golf course (reputedly the highest and most dramatically situated course in Scotland) is nearby. For the enthusiast, there are some fifty Munros within striking distance, and the area is endowed with superb ski touring and mountaineering opportunities.

The house is warm, well equipped and comfortable, and has the added advantage of a ground floor bedroom with en suite facilities for the less able who may find stairs difficult.

To the rear of the house is a ski/boot/cycle store, and the area is perfect for mountain biking or cycling on the tracks and trails or touring on the quiet roads.