McMurdoston House

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McMurdoston House

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.

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.

11/03/2026

I felt a bit guilty turning up for my swim with these professionals in pole position. They scarpered almost immediately and I got my chilly 10 minutes, followed by some delightfully warming sight-seeing which involved a run round to one of my most loved viewpoints.

04/02/2026

Even on a cold and gloomy day (and it really was glum) it's surprising what colours nature can throw back at you if you look hard enough. This ordinary little patch of moss stood out pleasingly, despite the lack of sun, and a burst of straw-like golden grasses really caught my eye, although my photographic skills failed to capture their wintery beauty. I went back to the loch once I'd warmed up again (it was 4 degrees in the water) and saw that the goldeneye were back - it was also a bit brighter, which was probably why I noticed this pretty little group of stones near where I get in...

15/01/2026

OK, now I honestly WILL try and stop bragging about/boring you with my swimming adventures, but before I do I couldn't resist showing you the before and after scene yesterday. It surprised me to find the loch thawing from the middle outwards (the goldeneye and mallards were all happy to be back in the centre) but my quest to reach swimmable H2O was thwarted by solid inch-thick ice. I made do with my small private plunge area and was astonished by the different colours of the ice, from clear, to creamy, to bubble-blasted, to rainbow-drenched. Most wonderful of all, on an otherwise silent day, was the soundtrack of tinkling-crinkling ice particles being jostled about by my crazy floundering.

07/01/2026

A stunning day to remind me what's on my doorstep. The iron age fort just up the lane gives amazing 360 degree views but is quite a sight in its own right (I'm not trying to be poetic...!) and today some of the old ditches and entrances were super-clearly picked out in the frosty sunshine. I'd love to know who lived up there all those decades ago...

02/01/2026

Happy 2026 from McMurdoston!

I managed to snap two of the five red kites soaring over my head at the trig point today - not a brilliant picture, but it gives a hint of their majestic style and the sky was stunning. Meanwhile yesterday (despite the ice at one end of the loch) I achieved my Loony Dook to mark the start of the new year. I wasn't the only 'dooker' but we are a small, select breed and distinctly shy of cameras.

26/12/2025

A stunning day for a 'dook', even if there was heavy frost on the edge of the loch. I think this imperious buzzard might have been looking for casualties but I managed to elude his clutches - even my notverygood picture gives some hint as to the power in those talons/that beak. Happy Boxing Day!

Address

Auldgirth
Dumfries
DG20JX

Telephone

+441387740200

Website

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

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