McMurdoston House

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Two peaceful self-catering cottages, 5 miles from Dumfries in beautiful countryside. Breathe...! Ten minutes from Dumfries.

Peaceful bed and breakfast sleeping up to six, plus two well-equipped holiday cottages for four people.

27/09/2026

Swimming was unnecessary today as just opening the door resulted in getting soaked. However, skies cleared unexpectedly, and I headed off for a circular walk I hadn't done for ages. The colours were spectacular and I got great views. I had a reminder of how creepy Lagg Tower is (the ancient laird who inhabited it was said to have rolled his captured enemies down the hill behind it in barrels spiked inwardly with nails) and then a calming field of belties, slightly tricky to photograph unfortunately, as by then the sun was too strong... Not complaining!

23/09/2026

You never quite know what to expect when heading for the loch - conditions vary dramatically. Today I was lucky, with blue skies, several dabchick chicks for company, half an hour of 15 degrees in the water, and total peace and quiet. Afterwards I invented a new circular walk which involved squelching inadvertently through a bog, putting up a snipe, being 'cronked' at by a family of ravens and being able to appreciate a bit of road I normally hurtle up or down in the car.

06/09/2026

I never grow tired of the different colours, varied conditions (no face-slapping waves today!), ever-changing wildlife (dabchick chick and mum today, chiffchaff still chiffchaffing), and general wonderfulness of Loch Ettrick. I'm very lucky to have it within reach.

20/08/2026

Two surprising photographic sightings today... just a few of the 80-plus house martins on manoeuvre round their nest sites at McM and a small, but perfectly orange, flock of sheep just down the road.
Our much-loved swifts have left for warmer climes, the swallows are still on the go (in greater number than last year) and we continue to watch in amazement whatever wonderful birds choose to grace us with their presence.

27/07/2026

A photographic opportunity (even if I'm a total amateur) such as this truly is all you need to take your mind off all that other stuff...two swiftlets keenly/bravely assessing the world beyond the tiny space in which they were born. When they judge it the correct moment they will lift off, fly from their nest and quite possibly spend at least the next two years in flight, never landing. They eat, sleep, bathe, mate on the wing. They have the capacity to shut off half their brain when at high altitude so that they can rest... We are privileged beyond belief to be able to share our home with these creatures. Long live the swift.

04/07/2026

Scaur Water is a lovely local waterway - dramatic in parts, astonishingly calming in others, an amazing place for wildlife and a very tempting place for maniacs such as myself who like to get close to H2O. I waited for a gloomy day when I felt I might be alone in trying out what I'd been led to believe was a popular spot and was very lucky to have it to myself. You can guess which picture shows where I entered the water - all I'll say is that it was the closest to an infinity pool I've ever found. Gorgeous!

15/05/2026

I took a day off yesterday and went to Threave to look for ospreys. Slowly but surely they revealed themselves... and it seems there are two nests now in operation. My pictures are not great but I was pleased to get anything! One bird flew right past me carrying a stick and my third photo was taken while one parent was taking over from the other, so I got to see the both.

27/04/2026

After a chilly swim today I ventured towards my 'benchinthe middleofnowhere' and decided to walk on. I came across this tiny patch of super-clean water created by a quarry dug by forestry operators. I sat and ate my sandwich with newts circling my boots and a string of toadspawn within inches. Suddenly behind me I heard a familiar sound - 'cuckoo'! He was in the topmost branches of a granny pine, being mobbed by irritated small birds. What luck!

21/04/2026

A challenging but utterly beautiful swim for me today. For a start I had to wait 5 hours for the water to come in (photo 2 shows just how far out the tide was when we arrived at Balcary Bay). Then, when I got in the waves were definitely trying to knock me off my feet! I bobbed about like a giggling cork for 20 minutes, quite safe just off the shore, the only dangerous part of the operation involving trying to get dressed discretely in very windy conditions. Photo 3 shows a lovely little creature who crossed my path while I was waiting for the tide to come in.

05/04/2026

Not a brilliant picture, but I was pleased that this gorgeous male merlin, spotted near Loch Urr, stayed still for long enough that we were able to identify him (I believe!). The weather was extraordinary today, varying dramatically between clear, clean sunlight and astonishing slate-grey, snow-filled skies. This tiny hunting machine was clearly qualified to cope with anything.

Address

Auldgirth
Dumfries
DG20JX

Telephone

+441387740200

Website

http://www.mcmurdoston.co.uk/

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